5 minute read
BOOK TOUR
PETROL PUMPS IN GREAT MISSENDEN, AS REFERENCED IN ROALD DAHL'S DANNY, CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
Local
HEROES
Did you write a book during lockdown? Or perhaps World Poetry Day on 21 March is inspiring you to put pen to paper? Publishers of all genres are reporting a deluge of manuscripts — it seems the unique circumstances of recent times have inspired would-be authors to get writing.
Coronavirus isn’t the first pandemic to inspire creativity. History is full of great art that has risen from the ashes of plague, pestilence and pandemics — none more than Paradise Lost by John Milton (1608–74), which describes the “red right hand that plagues us” about the great plague of 1665.
Milton may never have lived to finish his epic poem had he not escaped ‘the heat of the plague’ in London by fleeing to Chalfont St Giles. It was here — in a
‘pretty box’ farm workers' cottage that still stands today — where he completed his most remarkable work and dreamed up its sequel, Paradise Regained.
The cottage has been a museum (miltonscottage.org) since 1887, remaining open through two world wars — indeed,
March 2020 was the first time the museum wasn’t able to welcome visitors in spring.
But want-to-be authors can still find inspiration by visiting the museum’s website for a virtual tour in verse. Writing prompts, journal ideas and creative writing tips also will inspire homeschooling children and adults to channel inspiration during isolation, just like Milton.
Milton wasn’t our only local literary sensation. The American poet Robert
Frost (1874 —1963) lived in a bungalow on Reynold’s Road, Beaconsfield, after moving to England in 1912. His famous poems, Mending Wall and Birches, were penned while he lived there.
A tour of Berkshire and Berkshire's colourful literary history
By JUDITH HURRELL
GREAT MISSENDEN LIBRARY
T. S. Eliot (1888 – 1965) taught a term at the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe. Rumour has it the experience inspired him to write The Wasteland. Charming. He left the profession and moved to Marlow in 1917. His teaching room — Room 26 in the Main Block — is still an English classroom where today’s teachers are much more enthusiastic.
D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) rented a cottage on Bellingdon Farm in Cholesbury near Chesham while working on The Rainbow from 1914-1915.
The prominent modernist writer Katherine Mansfield, who Lawrence knew from The Bloomsbury Group, lived next door while having an a air with fellow writer John Middleton Murry. The characters Gudrun and Gerald in Lawrence’s Women in Love are based on Mansfield and Murry. Former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984) was a teacher at Thorpe House School, Gerrard’s Cross, before working as a private secretary. He spoke fondly about the area in his autobiographical work Summoned by Bells (1960), recalling that “Metroland / Beckoned us out to lanes in beechy Bucks”.
INSIDE MILTON'S COTTAGE
MILTON'S COTTAGE
Perhaps one of Buckinghamshire’s most famous literary sensations is Roald Dahl, who lived in Great Missenden for 36 years. Gipsy House, which provided the backdrop for Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox and Danny, the Champion of the World, is now privately owned. However, the house that inspired Sophie’s orphanage in The BFG, Danny’s dad’s petrol pumps, Matilda’s library and Roald Dahl’s grave are popular sites around town. Fans can also explore Dahl’s famous writing shed and gipsy caravan when museums reopen.
The Thames-side scenery of the unspoiled village of Cookham Dean in Berkshire inspired Kenneth Grahame’s best-known work, The Wind in the Willows. Wannabe writers can take creative inspiration from the beautiful setting with a walk past Grahame’s boyhood home in the village and then on through Quarry and Fultness Woods — the inspiration for the book’s Wild Wood’.
So, if you’re a Bucks or Berks resident with a story to tell, you’re in good company.
ENGLAND IN ACTION
KICK OFF TIME
Win two hospitality tickets to an England Rugby match, courtesy of Keith Prowse
BRITISH AIRWAYS ROSE GARDEN Although we’re in unprecedented times, which may see this year’s Guinness Six Nations fixtures take place behind closed doors, rugby passion is rising.
Keith Prowse, the principal hospitality sales partner to England Rugby, is o ering readers the chance to win a fully inclusive hospitality experience for two in the British Airways Rose Garden this autumn, when England will take on an Emerging Nation at Twickenham Stadium.
Taking its rugby heritage from the rose embossed crest given to Rugby School by Elizabeth I, the British Airways Rose Garden is one of Twickenham’s liveliest match day venues with incredible views over London. Up to two hours before the match, you will be able to enjoy unlimited street food including stone-baked pizzas and a rotisserie carvery, washed down with a wide range of real ales, Guinness, premium lager and selected wines.
A build-up of live band music from the stage will create a vibrant atmosphere rich with anticipation.
You’ll then take your seats and watch the match from the upper tier’s best seats with a full view of the on-pitch action – don’t forget to pop back to the British Airways Rose Garden for a half time pint!
No game would be complete without the obligatory post-match analysis and guests are welcome to stay behind for ninety minutes after the game.
Don’t miss out on the chance to win this ultimate rugby hospitality experience courtesy of Keith Prowse.
HOW TO ENTER
For the chance to win the ultimate rugby hospitality experience courtesy of Keith Prowse, visit: absolutely.london/win-rugby
Terms and conditions apply.
DRINK & FOOD
AMUSE BOUCHE
FINISH & FEAST Finish & Feast launched in November 2020, and was the first at-home restaurant service to specialise in fine dining. Muse by chef Tom Aikens is the latest Michelin-starred restaurant to be added to the platform, delivering a luxurious menu direct to UK homes. finishandfeast.com
