Arthur Ransome's Norfolk Broads
Arthur Ransome's East AngliaImportant Note: Please ensure you have Image loading turned on in your browser ie: if you can't see the above image of the Swallows & Amazons Flags, then you have image loading turned off or delayed and you will encounter problems on this site as extensive use of images and image maps is used, this may also make the alternative text for images unreadable depending on how well your browser supports tables and table background colour. To [ How it Started ] [ Coot Club ] [ The Big Six ] [ Tour by car ] [ Visitor's View ] [ Video Clips] [ Museum ] [ Slideshow ] The story of "Swallows and Amazons" began with Arthur Ransome's holiday at Coniston as a child and grew out of the happy summer of 1928 when he and Ernest Altounyan bought two 13-foot dinghies for the young Altounyans to learn to sail. When they had returned to Syria and he was sailing the Swallow on Lake Windermere, Arthur set to work on a story which was to remind them of their holiday. He remembered his own childhood holidays and put the Altounyans into the story with their boats and their "Uncle Arthur", thinly disguised as Captain Flint.  Arthur made his first visit to the Broads in 1919 and having spent part of the summer in England, he went fishing in Norfolk. Ernest Altounyan, who had met Arthur around 1903, claimed to have taught him to sail tacking along the rivers of the Broads. Ernest was a great Broads enthusiast and he almost certainly introduced Arthur to the area before he took his family out to Aleppo in 1919. (Right, the yacht "Winsome")In 1931 the Ransome's hired a yacht " Winsome " from Herbert Woods of Potter Heigham and in 1933 they were back again, this time in a Fairway . About this time, Arthur was resolved to write a story set on The Broads.
"Swallows and Amazons", based in the Lake District, was made into a film and released on video by Weintraub Entertainment and later by W H Smith (Bar Code No 5 014783 820620). "Coot Club" and "The Big Six" which were based on the Norfolk Broads, were serialized by the BBC and eventually released on one 3-hour compilation video, "Swallows and Amazons Forever (the Big Six & The Coot Club)", distributed by W H Smith in their Family Collection of videos (Bar Code No BM 520 74321 26633 3). Swallows & Amazons video news: The video was for quite a while unavailable anywhere in the UK, in the UK Pal television standard format, the only version available then was American NTSC version, most modern video recorders and TV's can play this format but check with the handbook of your video player to see whether is will play NTSC videos. If so, you can also purchase on line from Janson Video :- http://www.janson.com/videos/children/cootclub.html or http://www.janson.com/videos/children/bigsix.htmlThey are a reputable company in the USA and are very helpful if you have any questions.Short video clips of the film can be viewed on my Real Video Coot Club page Norfolk County Council, Library and Information Services devised a two-part
tour by car , featuring places of interest in "Coot Club" and "The Big Six", the leaflet was available from Broads Authority Information Centres. Coot Club Arthur decided that the first Broads story would unfold through the eyes of Dick and Dorothea and in 1934 took a cruise to all of the places in the story and took a set of photographs. The result was that "Coot Club" is the best illustrated book in the series, full of charming tailpieces and accurate draughtsmanship. (Left, the yacht "Teasel" and Tom's dinghy, "Titmouse")The D's meet Tom Dudgeon, the Horning doctor's son, on the train to Wroxham. They discover that bird watching and sailing occupy all his spare time. They meet again later that day when Tom hides in the reeds beside the yacht, the Teasel , that the D's are using as a houseboat with Mrs Barrable, their mother's former teacher.  Tom has to hide because he is fleeing from a pursuing motor-cruiser, the
Margoletta , full of Hullabaloos whom he has cast off because they were moored by a favorite coot's nest with eggs about to hatch and it was the only thing he could do to save the chicks. The Hullabaloos had been told by other members of the Coot Club, the
Death and Glories , but had refused to move. (Right, the Hullabaloos and the motor cruiser "Margoletta")Soon the Teasel becomes a training ship, as Tom's neighbours, Port and Starboard Farland and the Death and Glories join forces to help Tom keep clear of the avenging Hullabaloos, and at the same time teach Dick and Dorothea to sail . Tom is chased all over the Broads before the Hullabaloos ram a beacon post on Breydon Water and are saved by the Death and Glories. [ How it Started ] [ Coot Club ] [ The Big Six ] [ Tour by car ] [ Visitor's View ] [ Video Clips] [ Museum ] [ Slideshow ] Big Six The "Big Six" is a detective story and masterly thriller about the casting off of boats. The story is set at the end of the summer holidays during which time the Death and Glories have been putting a stove and cabin with bunks into their old boat. Arthur clearly had a particular boat in mind because I found a diagram in one of his notebooks which gives the length as 21ft and the depth as 4ft. This corresponds exactly with the size of one of the boats in a list of regulation lifeboats I found, writes Roger Wardale in Arthur Ransome's East Anglia. (Left, the Death and Glory on patrol)These additions mean that the Coot Club will be able to keep a better watch over the birds the following spring. George Owden, who is known to steal rare birds eggs to increase his ample pocket money decides to discredit the Coot Club by casting off boats wherever the Death and Glories go. Naturally enough, everyone remembers Tom's affair of the spring and believe the Coots to be guilty. Only with the timely arrival of Dick and Dorothea does the Coot Club start some detective work of their own. the climax is as exciting and satisfying as anything that he wrote.  In the course of the story more information about the life in Broadland and a charming portrait of village life are included. There is a memorable incident when the Death and Glories catch a 30-1/2lb pike. This was probably inspired by the 21lb pike in the
Swan Inn , Horning, caught by 12 years old, Edward Gillard in 1921 which is mentioned in the story. (Right, picture of Stalham Staithe, as used in the film).Another incident woven into the story is the visit to the eel man , (eel boat 1998) George Parker, who had his sett near Black Horse Broad. He was not as venerable as Harry Bangate but was Horning eelman for 47 years before retiring just before the war. The Ransome's were an East Anglian family. Arthur traced his Quaker ancestors back as far as a Norwich miller in the sixteenth century. Arthur's great-great-grandfather left the area and became a well known Manchester surgeon but his brother remained to start the Ipswich firm of Ransome and Rapier. Thanks to Roger Wardale and Poppyland Publishing for permission to use extracts from "Arthur Ransome's East Anglia" (ISBN 0 946148 34 1) which has been recently reprinted in 2002. If you want to explore all the East Anglian haunts of Arthur Ransome, then this book is highly recommended. The illustrations above are mixture of stills from the films and some current day shots taken in 1998 by myself. Some of the craft featured in the "Coot Club" and "The Big Six" films are currently awaiting restoration at the Museum of The Broads so please consider becoming one of the friends of the museum and help restore the craft. Individual membership is only £8.00 and family £12.00 On the links page, you will find links to the Arthur Ransome Society and other Ransome sites. If you want any further information on the Norfolk Broads email cootclub@whiteswan.co.uk and I will try to help. To [ Top ] [ How it Started ] [ Coot Club ] [ The Big Six ] [ Tour by car ] [ Visitor's View ] [ Video Clips] [ Boating & Recreation ] [ Museum ] [ Slideshow ] |
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caz@whiteswan.u-net.com
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