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The Literary Landscape

lindaglamour
Oct 13, 2016
3 min read

There are the obvious well known connections between locations and famous authors here in England - Shakespeare and Stratford upon Avon, Charles Dickens and London, the Bronte sisters and Haworth. Yet as one wanders around one seems to bump into places and people with literary associations quite frequently.

It is easy to see how the landscape has an impact on the sensitive and literary inclined. The moors whether in Yorkshire or Cornwall has given rise to great literature. I loved my visit to Haworth and the Bronte parsonage and out on the moor it was easy to see the inspiration for Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. In Cornwall, the moor and dramatic coastline gave Winston Graham the inspiration he needed for Poldark.

Checking into the Grand Hotel in Torquay Hercule Poirot walked past me. He twirled his moustache and doffed his hat. I was surprised however it quickly dawned on me that it was Agatha Christie weekend in Torquay and many a devoted fan was wandering around as characters paying homage to the author. Agatha was born in Torquay but had her residence as an adult at Greenaway, located in the deep Devon countryside near Dartmouth.

At Polruan the author Daphne Du Maurier had her home. Reading her account of her life and work in "Vanishing Cornwall" she laments the changes time had brought to her surroundings and yet, a century later I can still see the charm and challenges which she loved, present today. Out on the moor and the smugglers den of Jamaica Inn still draws people in though to be honest as I drove past, I thought it unappealing and resisted the call to visit. Daphne's house remains lived in today by her son, looking out across the estuary and to Fowey.

At the Fowey Hotel, upon the walls, hangs letters from the author Kenneth Graham to his son while he was holidaying. His letter tells the story of Wind In The Willows, to entertain his son while he was away. At the top of Fowey sits the Fowey Hall Hotel - the inspiration for Toad Hall.

Walking down the steep cobbled path into the village of Clovelly I ventured into the small museum to discover it had ben the home of Charles Kingsley - author of Westward Ho! and The Water Babies. Neither novels are particularly favourites of mine but to see the small cottage he lived in and where he wrote was interesting.

Clovelly clings to the side of the cliff and is a tiny village but today unlike the other places of note I have visited, has surrendered to the lures of commercialism. One must pay an entry fee to enter the village and walk its street. And there is only one! For me it lacks the charm of the other Cornish and Devon villages I have seen.

The hugely successful Harry Potter series of novels (and movies) feature an eclectic range of locations. Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station is one while the movies also used locations in Oxford, London and the countryside. North of London is the studios where the films were made. I had a wonderful time visiting and threw myself into every activity - I flew on a broomstick, walked Daigon Alley, caught the train to Hogwarts and flew in the car across the rooftops of London!

Many years ago now I visited the home of Jane Austen in Chawton, Surrey. I remember wandering her home and garden and delighting in its domesticity and prettiness. I remember clearly Jane's small desk at the lounge window where she sat and wrote, no doubt looking out towards the village path that meandered past her window and looking up at the sky seeking inspiration.

I was surprised then to wander into Winchester Cathedral last weekend to discover that it the location of Jane Austen's final resting place. A stone slab on the floor and to the side, an alcove "in memorium" complete with flowers. It was a Sunday morning when I visited Winchester Cathedral and I had just participated in the morning's service of eucharist so it was with a contemplative mood that I stood at her stone marker and thought about her life and work. Such incredible works - Pride and Prejudice my favourite of course. The spritely and independent character Elizabeth Bennett has given all hope that a girl of character can achieve her goals. I hope Jane achieved hers during her short but productive lifetime.