Sidmouth (where I live) is a well know location for film and television producers and over the years it has also been immortalised in many books.

Sidmouth is called:

• Stymouth in  the Beatrix Potter children’s story: The Tale of Little Pig Robinsonwhich was first published in 1930.  Potter spent a holiday in Lyme Regis when she was seventeen, and used views of Lyme Regis, nearby Sidmouth, Ilfracombe, Hastings, and Teignmouth to illustrate this book. The author includes views of the beach and other parts of the Devon countryside in the work.
• Idmouth in Thomas Hardy’s Wessex.
• Baymouth  in William Makepeace Thackeray’s Pendennis.
• Spudmouth  in the The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood ~ an 1883 novel by the United States illustrator and writer Howard Pyle.
   

Sidmouth has also been the setting for television shows; in recent years appeared in the ITV series by Agatha Christie entitled “Miss Marple“. It’s also been a favourite location for Sir John Betjeman and he chose it as the subject of the first programme of the television series John Betjeman In The West Country ~ The script takes the form of an extended poem and was republished in 2000 as a short book, illustrated with shots from the programme

And according to our local newspaper, The Sidmouth Herald,  Sidmouth also appears in in a novel entitled Silks by the well known novelist Dick Francis. The protagonist of the novel sends his father to Sidmouth to stay in the Victoria Hotel (below).  So all in all Sidmouth has fantastic literary connections.

Also in the local newspaper this week was an interview with a friend of mine: Sylvia Brownlee.  She wrote the booklet on R W Sampson’s architecture (entitled Sampson’s Sidmouth) and she commissioned me to take the photographs for the book. Anyway, apparently she sent a copy to HRH Prince Charles and he replied sending his praise and his warmest wishes. When I read the article I suddenly realised that it meant that HRH Prince Charles had seen my photographs. Do you think this means I can use the Royal Warrant?

 

LOL! Well, I can dream can’t I?

PS: If you ever Google yourself your Majesty, and you discover this post, I’d love to have an opportunity to take a photographic portrait of you. Thank you in anticipation. Just leave a comment to let me know how to contact  you please.