LITERARY PUBS: THE VICTORY INN, ST MAWES

 J K Rowling is best known for her Harry Potter books, but under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith she has written a series of novels about private detective Cormoran Strike.  Strike grew up with an aunt and uncle in St Mawes and the novel titled Troubled Blood opens with Strike having a drink with an old schoolfriend in the Victory Inn, which was also where Strike managed to get his first drink without ID as a youngster.

Victory Inn, Victory Hill, St Mawes, Cornwall - June 2025. Photo by Mutney, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Victory is the oldest pub in St Mawes, dating from the 16th century and with a typically Cornish whitewash exterior.  It is  situated on a sloping side street leading down to the harbour and is well rated for its food, which includes fish specials, and its range of Cornish ales..  

Map of the area.

BRONTE: THE SCARBOROUGH CONNECTION

I have previously blogged about the Bronte family, with the focus on their home village of Haworth.  However, one of the sisters, Anne Bronte, spent many a happy time on the Yorkshire coast at Scarborough, where she found the sea air beneficial for her tuberculosis.  Sadly, the disease got the better of her in the end, and having spent her final days there, she now lies buried in the graveyard of St Mary’s Church.

Bronte’s novel Agnes Grey does not mention Scarborough by name, but the castle where Weston proposes to Agnes is unmistakably Scarborough Castle.  In her other novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, the coastal scenes and the seaside excursions undertaken by the characters are clearly inspired by Scarborough.

Scarborough Castle, Scarborough, Yorkshire - geograph.org.uk. Photo by Christine Matthews, via Wikimedia Commons. 

Scarborough is one of the main resort towns on the Yorkshire coast.  The reason it was so popular in Anne’s day is that it was a spa town, added to which the arrival of the railway in 1845 really propelled its prominence as a resort.  Scarborough is still reachable today by train from York.

Map of the area.

LITERARY PUBS: THE EAGLE AND CHILD, OXFORD

 It is perhaps inevitable that a city such as Oxford, with its long tradition of higher learning and a plethora of colleges, would have watering holes frequented by writers.  The Eagle and Child in St Giles is chief among these.  

The Eagle and Child, sometimes nicknamed the Bird and Baby, was a regular Tuesday meeting place for a group of writers called the Inklings, including J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis.  They would gather in the Rabbit Room to read and discuss their own writing.  The earliest recorded instance of the pub’s name was in 1684, with origins varying from the abduction of Ganymede by the eagle of Zeus, to the crest of the Earl of Derby. 

Sadly, it is not currently possible to visit the Eagle and Child, which has been closed for some time.  However, in October 2025 plans for the reopening were announced.  The redevelopment of the premises is being planned in such a way that the famous Rabbit Room will remain in situ, and the front of the pub will remain unchanged.

Map of the area.

The Eagle and Child - geograph.org.uk - 3989834. Photo by N Chadwick, via Wikimedia Commons.

LIFE WITH A MAN OF WORDS: ACCORDING TO QUEENEY, BERYL BAINBRIDGE/STREATHAM AND LICHFIELD

Dr Samuel Johnson, who made his name as a writer, literary critic and lexicographer, grew up in Lichfield, but he spent much of his life in London, where for some years he lodged with the Thrales, a brewing family who occupied Streatham Park, aka Streatham Place.  Johnson pretty much became one of the family, and had a special bond with the Thrales’ daughter Queeney, whom he addressed as Sweeting.  According to Queeney by the late Beryl Bainbridge is a brilliant representation of this period of Johnson’s life, expressed in terms  authentic to the period and with a great deal of humour.

Most of the day to day activities described centre around Streatham, a district of south London mostly contained in the Borough of Lambeth.  The brewer Ralph Thrale built Streatham Park in the 1730s, and it was passed to his son Henry, married to Hester.  It was this couple who accommodated Dr Johnson.  Sadly, the property cannot be visited as it was demolished in 1863.  

In 1774 Johnson takes the Thrales to his home city Lichfield, where they fetch up at the Swan Inn.  They meet some of Johnson’s old acquaintances and explore some of the key areas of the city, such as the Square, the Cathedral Close and the Market, over which an argument takes place about bears supposedly being tortured in the market place.  Johnson exclaims that “there were never bears in Lichfield Market, tormented or otherwise, only bulls”.  Another argument erupts when Mr Thrale claims that there is a lack of industry in Lichfield, and Johnson retorts that while Birmingham works with its hands, Lichfield folk use their brains.

Lichfield Cathedral, west front. Photo by Tony Grist, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lichfield is a cathedral city in Staffordshire.  During Johnson’s time in the 18th century the city became a busy centre for coaching, hence inns such as The Swan Inn.  Sadly, the Swan no longer exists today, but it retains the name in its current guise of accommodation.  There is a website devoted to the history of the inn.

Swan Hotel Bird Street Lichfield WS13 6NP. Photo by Spudgun67, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of Lichfield.

A SCRIBE'S SUSSEX HIDEAWAY: BATEMAN'S/RUDYARD KIPLING

When Rudyard Kipling moved into the 17th century Jacobean house Bateman’s with his wife Carrie in 1902, he was already an established author, with The Jungle Book and Kim under his belt, to name just two.  For his subsequent works, he drew much inspiration from the house and its charming surroundings, particularly the Dudwell Valley, where the house is located.  The Kiplings fell in love with the property at first sight, declaring that “we entered and felt her Spirit - her Feng Shui - to be good”.  The garden Kipling created was a place of solace for him after he lost his son to World War I.  The poem My Boy Jack was a product of this tragic loss.

Bateman's - geograph.org.uk - 2594587. Photo by Josie Campbell, via Wikimedia Commons.

Bateman’s lies in the heart of the Sussex countryside, a few miles to the north-west of Hastings.  The date above the front door says 1634, although parts of the house are even older.  Not much is known about the owners preceding the Kiplings.  Rudyard’s wife left the property to the National Trust on her death in 1939, three years after Rudyard died.

Map of the area.

LITERARY PUBS: THE SPANIARDS INN, HAMPSTEAD

On the edge of Hampstead Heath is a handsome inn called The Spaniards, so named because it was built by two Spanish brothers, in the year 1585.  Our old friend Charles Dickens, who seems to pop up with uncanny frequency in these ‘literary pubs’, was one writer who frequented The Spaniards, which provided inspiration for ‘The Pickwick Papers’, but he was not the only one.

The attractive garden is said to have been where the poet John Keats wrote ‘Ode to a Nightingale’.  There is a Keats Room in the inn to commemorate the fact.  His contemporary Lord Byron also visited.  The inn also appears in Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’.  As a non-literary aside, the father of the highwayman Dick Turpin was once the landlord of the inn, and it was where Dick came into the world.

The Spaniards Inn 1585 AD and outbuilding - geograph.org.uk - 1131521. Photo by Mike Quinn, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

OF MICE AND BUNNIES: NEAR SAWREY, CUMBRIA/BEATRIX POTTER

Beatrix Potter, who died in 1943, is best known for her children’s books featuring an array of charming animal characters, with illustrations depicting the characters in human clothing.  Benjamin Bunny, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, Squirrel Nutkin and their friends were brought together a few years ago as a collection of special 50P pieces, a testament to their enduring popularity.

Potter’s obvious affection for the animal world must in part stem from the fact that she made her home in the Lake District with all its natural wonders.  Her house, Hill Top, now managed by the National Trust, is in the village of Near Sawrey, near the west shore of Lake Windermere.  Some of her favourite possessions can be viewed in the house, while the garden, in the style of the English cottage-garden, displays scenes from her books.

Hill Top Near Sawrey 120510w. Photo by Strobilomyces, via Wikimedia Commons.

On the other side of Lake Windermere, in Bowness-on-Windermere there is an attraction aimed at families called The World of Beatrix Potter with displays featuring the characters in Potter’s books.  I have not visited, but it seems to get the thumbs-up on Tripadvisor.

Map of Near Sawrey.

LITERARY PUBS: THE BELL INN, MORETON-IN-MARSH

One recurring feature of Tolkien’s Hobbit tales is the tavern called The Prancing Pony in the fictional town of Bree.  The tavern forms part of an important scene in the first of the trilogy of Lord of the Rings films, being where Frodo and his friends first encounter Aragorn, who is sitting there in a hooded coat smoking a pipe.

While living in Oxford, Tolkien used to frequent the Cotswolds town Moreton-in-Marsh to meet up with his London-based brother. The brothers got together at the Bell Inn, a honey-coloured stone pub in the town’s main street, and this is believed to be the inspiration for the Prancing Pony.  A local branch of the Tolkien Society has had a blue plaque placed by the entrance to commemorate the pub’s connection to Tolkien and his work. The inn was a popular stopover for horse-drawn coaches in the days before the arrival of the railway, and the arched entrance used by the coaches matches the arch in Tolkien’s description of the inn.

Bell Inn Moreton in Marsh back in time. Photo by Ian Alexander, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

LITERARY PUBS: THE NEW INN, CLOVELLY

It is amazing how often Charles Dickens’ name crops up when I am researching literary pubs.  The New Inn in Clovelly is one of the many hostelries visited by the writer during his lifetime.  He supped there in 1860, and he renamed the village Steepways when writing about it for the magazine All the Year Round.

Other authors who visited the inn include Sir Walter Raleigh, who stayed there on his honeymoon, Charles Kingsley and Josephine Tozier.  Tozier produced a book named Among English Inns and included a piece about the New Inn, describing it as “a doll’s inn”, "perfectly proportioned" and stuffed with breakable china objects. 

The New Inn is one of two inns in the pretty North Devon village of Clovelly, which is subject to an entrance charge.  For the first-time visitor it is immediately apparent why Dickens named the village Steepways, as the main street running through the village is so steep that coming back up necessitates frequent stops for breath, even for the fittest.  However, it is well worth the visit, both for the village itself and for the wonderful views along the coast.

Clovelly, The New Inn (10857529533). Photo courtesy of National Media Museum, via Wikimedia Commons.

A NORTHERN RETREAT FOR A ROYAL: THE KINGMAKER'S DAUGHTER/MIDDLEHAM CASTLE

 The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory is the story of Anne Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, otherwise known as the “Kingmaker”, and briefly the wife of King Richard III.  A repeated theme throughout the story is the threat posed by the Queen Consort Elizabeth Woodville, arch enemy of Richard Nevill, who is suspected of poisoning those close to Anne, To get away from this threat, Anne repeatedly decamps to her home in the north at Middleham Castle in Yorkshire.

MiddlehamCJW. Photo by CJW, via Wikimedia Commons.

Middleham Castle lies in the village of Middleham, a short distance south of Leyburn in Wensleydale.  Building of the castle started in 1190, and from 1270 it was taken over by the Neville family..  The “Kingmaker” and his family occupied the castle in the 15th century, and the future King Richard III went to live there for a time in his younger years, then when he married Anne Neville they made it their home.  The castle is now managed by English Heritage, and there is an entrance fee to visit.

Map of the area.

LITERARY PUBS: THE LEATHER BOTTLE, COBHAM, KENT

 Fans of Charles Dickens will be aware that there are a number of pubs around London which were frequented by the famous writer.  However, Dickens did not confine his imbibing to our capital city.  He got about the country a fair bit, and no doubt found suitable watering holes wherever he went.

One particular part of the country with strong Dickens associations is the county of Kent, since he spent part of his life living there, first as a child, then later, following his separation from his wife Catherine, buying a house in Higham, between Rochester and Gravesend.  Near Gravesend is the village of Cobham, with the picturesque Leather Bottle inn, dating from around 1629.  Dickens used to enjoy rambles in the Kentish countryside, and he often stopped by here for liquid refreshment.

The 'Leather Bottle', Cobham - geograph.org.uk - 2209048. Photo by Roger Smith, via Wikimedia Commons.

Not only was the pub visited by Dickens himself, but it featured in one of his most famous works, The Pickwick Papers.  There is a scene in which Pickwick enters the pub with his companions Winkle and Snodgrass, to find another character Tracy Tupman, recently dumped by Rachel Wardle, sitting there with a magnificent feast before him.

In 2012, the BBC website carried a story about a single hair from Dickens’ head which had taken pride of place in the pub.  The hair was raffled to raise money for the restoration of the ‘chalet’ in Rochester where Dickens wrote many of his works.

Map of the area.

LITERARY PUBS: YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE, LONDON

There are a number of pubs in London with Charles Dickens associations, but the one all Dickens fans should visit is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese at 145 Fleet Street.  Not only did Dickens frequent this quaint and atompheric boozer during his time working in the city, but it had a role to play in one of his classics, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, set before and after the French Revolution.  There is a scene in the novel in which two of the main characters, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, head to a tavern to dine.  Although the tavern is not named, its location on Fleet Street and access ‘up a covered way’ have led to universal acceptance that Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is the inn in question.  The fare on offer is described as “a good plain dinner and good wine”.  I can back this up, based on a visit some years ago, when as far as I can recall I had a perfectly nice Ploughmans at a surprisingly reasonable price for London. 

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Holborn, London. Photo by Adam Bruderer, via Wikimedia Commons.

Charles Dickens is not the only well-known literary figure to have frequented Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.  Others include G. K. Chesterton, Mark Twain, Samuel Johnson, W. B. Yeats and Arthur Conan Doyle.  In 1927 another eminent writer, P. G. Wodehouse, told a friend that he had looked in at the Garrick (presumably either the theatre or the Garrick Arms) at lunchtime, “took one glance of loathing at the mob, and went off to lunch by myself at the Cheshire Cheese”.   

Cheshire Cheese Basement (15815848118). Photo by It's No Game, via Wikimedia Commons.

The original tavern was opened in 1538 on a site which formed part of a 13^th century Carmelite monastery.  Like many of the capital’s inns of the time, it was destroyed by fire during the Great Fire of London in 1666, but was rebuilt the following year.  The authentic atmosphere inside the pub is enhanced by the sawdust on the floor, which is changed twice daily.  As well as the decent pub food, the bar dispenses beers and other drinks bearing the Samuel Smith label.

Map of the area.

A LADY ADRIFT IN LINCOLNSHIRE: KATHERINE BY ANYA SETON

 Katherine by the late American author Anya Seton tells the true story of a young woman born in France as Katherine de Roet whose gradual ascent up the ranks of society leads to her marriage to John of Gaunt, by which she becomes the Duchess of Lancaster.  The first half of the book covers her first reluctant marriage to the knight Sir Hugh Swynford, who has a manor in Lincolnshire.  Swynford takes Katherine off to live at the manor, which is in the tiny hamlet of Kettlethorpe, to the north-west of Lincoln.  Katherine struggles to come to terms with her new life in these rather austere surroundings, but while Sir Hugh is away fighting, her depressing existence is briefly alleviated when she is invited to spend Christmas at Bolingbroke Castle at the invitation of Blanche of Lancaster (John of Gaunt’s first wife) , for whom she develops a deep affection.  Unfortunately, things at Bolingbroke later take a tragic turn for the worse when the black death reaches the area.

Bolingbroke village and castle site, aerial 2014 - geograph.org.uk - 4058087. Photo by Chris, via Wikimedia Commons.

There is a none too flattering description of Kettlethorpe in the early part of the book, describing its geographical location and the fact that it owed feudal dues to the Bishop of Lincoln.  It is described as not very productive, with the soil only suitable for “the growth of hay, flax and hemp and such-like” and “most of the land being in virgin forest for the pleasure of its lords.”  By contrast, Bolingbroke is described as “a small fair castle set in meadowlands and encircled by the protecting wolds”, with “a gay and welcoming look”.  In Chapter XII Katherine rides into Lincoln with her faithful servant Hawise, who declares “Folk here must be goats!” – this undoubtedly being a reference to the aptly named Steep Hill, which leads to the upper part of the city.  The bustle of the city occasioned by the fact that it is market day meets with Hawise’s approval, and she describes it as “a deal better than those dreary fens”. 

Lincoln Steep Hill Cropped. Photo by Russell J Smith, via Wikimedia Commons.

A glance at the present-day Kettlethorpe on the map reveals that there is precious little there other than the Church of St Peter and St Paul and the Village Hall.  Kettlethorpe Hall is a Georgian property, but it stands on the site of the Swynford manor.  There is little left of Boliingbroke Castle, which is now managed by English Heritage and lies about 15 miles inland from Skegness, but the original outline can be clearly seen from the shape of the remaining foundations, and there is still water in the surrounding moat, a fact which English Heritage is at pains to warn visitors.  Entry to the castle is free.  Lincoln is one of England’s classic cathedral cities.  The cathedral and the nearby castle are both in the upper part of the city, making for an impressive sight from afar.  The city is known for its Christmas market.  Down below, boat trips are available on the city’s Roman canal, the Fossdyke.

Gateway at Kettlethorpe Hall - geograph.org.uk - 2577084. Photo by Jonathan Thacker, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of Lincolnshire.

LITERARY PUBS: THE OXFORD BAR, EDINBURGH

The Scottish writer Ian Rankin is best known for his detective novels featuring Inspector John Rebus.  The series of novels, numbering 22 in all and which spawned a television series starring Ken Stott as Rebus, is set in Edinburgh.  The favourite watering hole of Rebus is the Oxford Bar, apparently chosen by Rankin because a lot of police drink there.  The bar is also a favourite of Rankin himself, who can often be found there enjoying a pint of Deuchars IPA.  Sean Connery has also visited, as has another detective novel supremo Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse books.

The Oxford Bar can be found in Young Street, which is in the part of the city known as the New Town, something of a misnomer since the architecture is largely Georgian, and construction started in 1767.  The bar, which is a short walk north from Princes Street, has received many favourable reviews from visiting fans, being described as no frills, with prices to match.  The many pictures on the wall include photographs of Rankin and of Stott.

The Oxford Bar, Young Street - geograph.org.uk - 3150895. Photo by kim traynor, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of Edinburgh New Town.

VIRGINIA SEES THE LIGHT: TO THE LIGHTHOUSE/GODREVY, CORNWALL

 The writer Virginia Woolf was born in London, the daughter of Leslie and Julia Stephens.  Although the family lived in London, during the 1880s and 1890s, for three months of every year, they would decamp to St Ives, staying at Talland House.  Anyone who has been to St Ives will be well aware of the magnificent views along the coastline.  One notable feature on the horizon is Godrevy Lighthouse, just offshore a few miles up the coast from St Ives at the eastern end of St Ives Bay.  The lighthouse was clearly visible from the family’s holiday home, which sat above Porthminster Beach.

Talland House, St Ives, Cornwall - May 2022. Photo by Mutney, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

The lighthouse formed the inspiration for the story Virginia considered her best, ‘To The Lighthouse’, which was actually set on Skye in a location visited by the Ramsay family, for whom the lighthouse was an ever-present draw.  Virginia describes the lighthouse as ‘hoary’ and ‘austere’, and she refers to the ‘green sand dunes with the wild flowing grasses on them’.  This is a good description of the coast surrounding Godrevy Lighthouse, which is dominated by the sand dunes of Gwithian, and which is managed by the National Trust..

Talland House is on Albert Road, above the railway station which forms the terminus of a delightful short branch line from St Erth.  The house is not open to visitors, but there is a  blue plaque commemorating its association with Woolf and her family.

Godrevy Lighthouse has an octagonal tower 26 metres high, designed by architect James Walker and opened on 1^st March 1859.  It was built on Godrevy Island,which lies 300 metres off Godrevy Head.  The lighthouse is well placed for protecting shipping from the hazardous Stones Reef.  The light was deactivated in 2012 and replaced with an LED light mounted on the rocks on a platform, but the lighthouse tower is still retained by Trinity House as a daymark.  There are boat trips out to the lighthouse from St Ives.

Map of St Ives.

Godrevy Lighthouse by Barbara Ashley.

LITERARY PUBS: THE ACORN INN, EVERSHOT, DORSET

Thomas Hardy’s novels featured many fictional towns, villages and cities which often had clearly identifiable real-life equivalents.  One such example was Evershead, which in real life is Evershot.  The Sow and Acorn inn in Evershead, which featured in a number of Hardy's stories, was inspired by the Acorn Inn, a 16^th century Grade II-listed pub in the village which was frequented by Hardy himself.

In Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, there is a scene in which Tess stops for breakfast in the village at a cottage near the Sow and Acorn inn; she avoids the inn itself, not being the pub-going type.  The inn is also mentioned in Interlopers at the Knap, in which Philip Hall collects Sally’s dress from the Sow and Acorn, and in The First Countess of Wessex, with Tupcombe indulging in a spot of eavesdropping from the inglenook.

Evershot, The Acorn Inn - geograph.org.uk - 3107193. Photo by Mr Eugene Birchall, via  Wikimedia Commons.

The present-day inn offers accommodation in rooms named after places and characters from Hardy’s novels.  The interior has changed somewhat since his time, being more open-plan now.  The village of Evershot is located just off the A37 midway between Yeovil and Dorchester, and around 30 minutes’ drive from the Jurassic Coast.  It is the second highest village in the county of Dorset. 

Map of the village.

MURDER ON THE MARSHES: A BIRD IN THE HAND, ANN CLEEVES/NORTH NORFOLK COAST

 Ann Cleeves has previously been known for her novels set in Shetland and in north east England (dramatised for TV in the Shetland and Vera series respectively).  For A Bird In The Hand we are transported to the county of Norfolk and the obsessive world of birdwatching.  The main action takes place in the fictional village of Rushy where a body is found in the marshes, although some of the characters venture further afield to the Scilly Isles and other birdwatching hotspots.  

I have tried in vain to find out whether there is a real-life place which forms the inspiration for Rushy, but having visited the Norfolk coast a few years ago I am convinced the most likely contender is Cley next the Sea where, like Rushy, there are extensive marshes and also a Visitor Centre focussing on the birdlife of the area.  Another giveaway is that there is a windmill in Cley used for accommodation; Rushy also has a windmill which is used as a cafe.

The Skirts, Cley Marshes Nature Reserve - geograph.org.uk - 3010226. Photo by Oliver Dixon, via Wikimedia Commons.

Cley next the Sea has swapped its role as a medieval trading port for that of a mecca for nature lovers, particularly birdwatchers.  Cley Marshes, run by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, is a nature reserve with six hides for birdwatchers to lurk in as they watch out for their feathered friends, which include wintering and migrating wildfowl and waders.  There is a Visitor Centre owned by the Trust on the way into the village from the east with marsh views and a cafe.  The 18^th century windmill now serves as a bed and breakfast and wedding venue, offering stunning views of the marshes and surrounding countryside.

Cley Windmill 1. Photo by Martin Pettitt, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

THE GREAT DIVIDE: ESPRESSO TALES/EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW

 In his 44 Scotland Street series, Alexander McCall Smith introduces us to some of the more elegant parts of Edinburgh along with its residents with their varying degrees of eccentricity.  In one of the books, Espresso Tales, we are briefly transported to Glasgow, where the youngest and most engaging character in the series, the mother-smothered Bertie, travels by train with his father in search of a mislaid car. 

There is often a bitter rivalry displayed between the first and second cities of any given country: Sydney and Melbourne in Australia, Madrid and Barcelona in Spain are two that spring to mind.  In Espresso Tales we are left in no doubt as to which of Scotland’s two largest cities looks down its nose at the other, not least courtesy of Bertie’s insufferable mother, Irene, whose withering remarks about Glasgow lead Bertie to believe that he is heading into the Wild West.  She mutters darkly about deep fried Mars Bars, and tells Bertie to wash his hands while there because “Glasgow is not a very salubrious place”.  She also cites the city’s mortality rates, from drinking, smoking and heart disease.  These foreboding comments are not helped by the fact that, on the approach to Glasgow, “the clear skies of the east of Scotland yielded place to a lowered ceiling of grey and purple rain clouds”.

In the event, Bertie has a splendid time in Glasgow, where on arrival he finds that the railway station is not that different from the one in Edinburgh, and neither are the people waiting at the barrier.  However, he finds the language spoken by the locals baffling, “quite like Italian in some respects”.  Bertie is introduced to this strange dialect in all its glory on meeting the local hard man Lard O’Connor, who lives in the street where the mislaid car is supposed to be, and who introduces Bertie to the Burrell Collection, a famous Glasgow art gallery. 

Main Concourse at Glasgow Central Station. Photo by DrHermannWaltz, via Wikimedia Commons.

Glasgow Central Station is a fittingly grand venue for arrivals at Scotland’s second city.  Originally opened in 1879, with the expansion of rail travel meaning the station was becoming too small, a rebuild took place from 1901 to 1905, with subsequent refurbishments leading to the light, airy concourse encountered today. 

The Burrell Collection, named after the late Sir William Burrell, is the result of Sir William’s love of collecting art and antiques, enabled by the fortune he made as a shipping merchant.  He gave his collection to the city in 1944, and the museum opened in 1983, greatly enhancing Glasgow’s image as a cultural city.  The collection contains around 9,000 items, including Chinese art, medieval treasures and works by famous French artists.  The museum resides in Pollok Country Park to the south of the city, accessible by bus or train.  Once at the park, there is a shuttle bus available for visitors to get around the park’s extensive grounds.

Burrell collection Glasgow. Photo by Helen Simonsson, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of Glasgow. 

A FICTIONAL TOUR OF SOUTHERN ENGLAND: JUDE THE OBSCURE, THOMAS HARDY

 One notable feature of the novels of Thomas Hardy is his use of real locations masked by fictional names.  Probably the most famous of these is Casterbridge, aka Dorchester in real life.  In Jude The Obscure, the action takes place in a number of different locations, each with its real-life equivalent.

 

The story kicks off in the village of Marygreen, where Jude Fawley, who has been sent to live with his great-aunt Drusilla following the death of his father, is upset that the local schoolmaster, Phillotson, is taking off for pastures new, namely the university city of Christminster (see below).  As it happens, the real-life version of Marygreen is also called Fawley, a village in Berkshire.  The church of St Mary the Virgin, completed in 1866, is the real-life version of Marygreen Church in the novel.

 

Jude Fawley’s dearest wish is to go and study at Christminster, which becomes something of an obsession to the point where he considers it the “New Jerusalem”.  However, it is not to be, and he ends up as a stonemason instead.  It is not at all hard to guess which is the real-life equivalent of Christminster, especially when we discover that it is to the north-east of Marygreen.  A glance at the map reveals that this venerable seat of learning has to be Oxford, one of the most famous university cities in the world along with its cousin to the east, Cambridge.

 

Oxford from Westgate Mall. Photo by Dicklyon, via Wikimedia Commons.

In another chapter of Jude’s life he finds himself in Melchester, where his on-off love affair with his cousin Sue develops.  He goes there to study for the clergy, having been lured by Sue, who is at a Training College in the city.  Jude finds work in the cathedral there while reading theological works in preparation for his career.  The real-life cathedral city of Salisbury in Wiltshire was the inspiration for Hardy’s Melchester.  Salisbury lies to the north of the New Forest and south of Salisbury Plain, with its elegant cathedral spire visible from miles around.  The city made the news in 2018 for the worst of reasons, being the location where the poison novichok was used to target former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, with an unfortunate local woman ending up dead as a result.

 

Salisbury, Salisbury Cathedral ^ Scenery - geograph.org.uk - 3106160. Photo by Lewis Clarke, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

By the time the action has moved to Shaston, Sue is married to Phillotson, who has moved there to run a school.  Jude catches up with Sue there and they flee together.  In real life, Shaston is the town of Shaftesbury, Dorset, famous for its picturesque cobbled street, Gold Hill, which featured in a 1970s TV advert for Hovis bread. 

 

Gold Hill Shaftesbury - geograph.org.uk - 2206454. Photo by peter robinson, via Wikimedia Commons.

Jude and Sue go to live together at Aldbrickham, which is where Jude’s flighty ex-wife Arabella used to work as a barmaid before she met him.  Arabella makes a reappearance in Jude’s life during this time at Aldbrickham, resulting in an unexpected addition to Jude’s family.  Aldbrickham’s real-life equivalent is the large Berkshire market town of Reading on the River Thames.  The town has long been an important commercial centre, above all most recently for the IT industry.

A LITTLE PIECE OF NORWAY IN WALES: ROALD DAHL/CARDIFF

 A walk around the shopping and entertainment district of Cardiff Bay offers the chance to take in a variety of architecture, most of it modern, the most striking examples being the Welsh National Assembly building, otherwise known as the Senedd, and the Wales Millennium Centre, a cultural centre staging theatre and other shows.  However, one building in particular which stands out from the rest is a charming little white former Lutheran church, dating from the19th century.  This is the Norwegian Church Arts Centre, housed in a church founded in the 19^th century by the Norwegian Seamen’s Mission at a time when Norwegian merchant ships were bringing timber from Norway for use in the Welsh  mines.  Later, during the Second World War, the church was frequented by Norwegian seafarers who were unable to return to their homeland, which had been occupied.

The Norwegian Church - geograph.org.uk - 984537. Photo by pennie winkler, via Wikimedia Commons.

In the late 19^th century, the Dahl family moved to Llandaff, Cardiff, from Norway when Harald Dahl founded a ship-broking company.  Harald’s son, Roald, went on to become a well-known author, specialising in children’s books.  The family used to worship at the Norwegian Church, which in those days occupied a site in the Docks area of the city.  However, the church fell into disrepair during the 1970s, and Roald set about campaigning for it to be saved.  This would involve dismantling and repairing the church before moving it to its current location.  The project was completed in 1992, but sadly Roald did not live to see his campaign come to fruition, having died several years before.

Nowadays, the church houses a gallery, gift shop and cafe, where visitors can enjoy lovely views over the Bay.  The venue can also be hired for events.  (Please note that at the time of writing this piece the church has been temporarily closed due to coronavirus restrictions.)  Dahl’s memory lives on in the Bay in the form of Roald Dahl Plass (‘plass’ being Norwegian for ‘square’), a centrepiece for events taking place in the Bay, such as the annual Christmas Market.  There is also an annual Roald Dahl Day on 13^th September, Dahl’s birthdate.

Roald Dahl Plass-3. Photo by V4nco, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.