Thea’s Parrot
Published in the USA as A friend of the Family
This town is local to the submarine base at Gosport where quite a few naval families live.
Anderton Farm, Tavistock
Michael is referring to a point on the Tavistock to Yelverton Road at SX 486 723.
The Bedford Hotel, so called because the then Lord Tavistock, Duke of Bedford was responsible for much of the building carried out in the town in the nineteenth century, has been one of our favourite haunts for many years. Characters use it as a rendezvous - usually intentionally but there are times when unexpected meetings result in interesting consequences. A bit like real life, in fact! Click here for the hotel web site.
Blundells, Tiverton, Devon
A public school in Tiverton where Oliver and Saul Wivenhoe were educated. The school was made famous by the book ‘Lorna Doone’. Click here to see their web site.
Bodmin Moor, Cornwall
The smallest and most fragmented of the three west country moors. Here are high granite tors, open moorland, areas of march and bog and sunken lanes which abound in wild flowers. Bodmin Moor - like much of Cornwall - is a place of mystery and legend where the atmosphere seems to quicken the imagination of artists and writers - including Marcia. Click here for further information.
Unlike Dartmoor and Exmoor, Bodmin Moor has not been designated as a National Park. Insofar as this moor is less likely to be damaged by housing and other such developments, I suppose this is reasonable. However, I would feel happier if it were a National Park (even though I have worries about the way in which the authorities run the other two).
Unlike Dartmoor and Exmoor, Bodmin Moor has not been designated as a National Park. Insofar as this moor is less likely to be damaged by housing and other such developments, I suppose this is reasonable. However, I would feel happier if it were a National Park (even though I have worries about the way in which the authorities run the other two).
Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth
The navy has used the port of Dartmouth for training naval officers for over one hundred years. Now housed in a magnificent shore establishment, the cadets once lived on board an old wooden ship of the line, HMS Britannia, from which the name of the college is derived. Most of the naval characters in Marcia’s books started their careers here. Click here to see the Royal Navy’s web site for the college.
Broadhayes
Fictional granite house set on the outskirts of the village of Moretonhampstead.
Burrator Reservoir, Dartmoor
This reservoir is to the south east of Tavistock - the dam is at SX 550 680. Probably because Marcia once lived in Dousland, which is close by, and I worked in Tavistock for a number of years it is and remains our favourite reservoir.
Clearbrook is a village on the south western edge of Dartmoor at SX 520 655. Like many villages in Devon, Clearbrook is no longer involved in the industries that created it - in this case mining and farming. It is in easy travelling distance of Tavistock and Plymouth where many of the inhabitants work.
Coolings, Gandy Street, Exeter
There was a period when I was making fairly frequent visits to the South West Studies library in Exeter. Marcia and I would often have lunch in in this wine bar/bistro in those days. It was here that Polly, Freddie and Thea met. Click here to visit their web site.
Crebers, Tavistock
Crebers in Duke Street is Tavistock’s delicatessen in which we often shop - as do a number of Marcia’s characters. Click here for their web site.
The river has two sources, the East Dart which rises on the open moor in an area of marshland at SX 607 854 and the West Dart which rises at SX 602 816. The two come together at Dartmeet (qv): SX 671 731. From there it wanders in a generally southward direction through Buckfastleigh, Dartington and Totnes before joining the sea at Dartmouth. To be accurate, the name ‘River Dart’ applies only to that part from Dartmeet down to the sea.
Dartmoor, Devon
The largest of the three moors in the west, Dartmoor is underpinned by granite. This has shaped the landscape with dramatic tors and deep river gorges. The moor is a national park.
Dolphin, HMS
Royal Naval shore and training establishment for the submarine service at Gosport in Hampshire.
A suburb of Southsea near the Portsmouth dockyard where there are various married quarters for naval personnel.
Elephant’s Nest, Peter Tavy
A pub on Dartmoor at SX 517 800 where Freddy took Jon in Thea’s Parrot - and where, on one occasion, Marcia and I had lunch with her editor from Headline, Clare. Click here for their web site.
Exeter, Devon
County town of Devon. There has been a community here from ancient times. It was the most westerly fortification to be built by the Romans who called it Isca.
Exeter University, Exeter
The university was founded in 1955 but this followed the incorporation of a number of places of learning in the area from the School of Art in Exeter which opened in 1855. Click here for further information.
Home to HMS Neptune, the submarine base on the Gare Loch.
Village near Tavistock at SX 512 678.
A town to the east of Plymouth on the main railway line to London at SX 640 563.
There are two high ranking boarding schools in Tavistock - facing each other over the River Tavy. Click Here to visit the Kelly College web site.
Fictional house to the west of Cox Tor and home of Michael Barrett-Thompson.
Lynch Common, Dartmoor
An area of open moorland at SX 554 663 to the east of the road from Meavy Ford to Cadover Bridge.
Fictional house set on the outskirts of the fictional village near Meavy.
Mary Arches, Exeter
Marcia is referring to the multi storey car park situated in Mary Arches Street. The name derives from St Mary Arches Church so called because it is dedicated to St Mary and contains two full Norman ‘arcades’ or arches which survived the bombing of Exeter during WWII. Click here for the church’s web site.
Mary Tavy
A village on the road from Tavistock to Okehampton at SX 505 795.
Meavy, Dartmoor
A village at SX 541 672. More.
Meavy Ford, Dartmoor
The ford at SX 545 669 where William’s Landrover came to grief and Tom twisted his ankle.
Meavy, River
The Meavy is a tributary of the River Plym which it joins at SX 533 635. It rises at SX 592 722 on the flanks of South Hessery Tor and flows through Burrator Reservoir on its way to join the Plym.
Merrivale, Dartmoor
A hamlet on the road between Tavistock and Princestown. There is a quarry at SX 545 753 from which this hamlet takes its name.
Moretonhampstead, Devon
Village on the north eastern edge of Dartmoor at SX 753 860.
Mount House School
Preparatory school at Tavistock. SX 493 749. For boys only during the period covered by this book, it is now co-educational. Click here to see their web site.
Marcia is referring to the Permanent Joint Headquarters (one of the inter-service military headquarters) where Commander Naval Forces North is based. Click here if you would like to see the Ministry of Defence web site dealing with this facility.
Town on the northern edge of Dartmoor at SX 600 954.
Old Rectory, The
Fictional house set in the centre of the fictional village near Meavy.
Old Oak, Meavy
Although the pub in Meavy is called The Old Oak it is actually The Royal Oak (q.v.)
Old Station House
The fictional home of the Lampeter family which is a converted station. Two such stations in real life contributed to this home. Its design is based on the one at Egloskerry (which is in Cornwall) and belonged to friends of ours. Its location, however, is at North Brentor to the north west of Mary Tavy. This station now offers Bed and Breakfast.
The highest community on Dartmoor, famous for HM Prison, Dartmoor. SX 590 735.
A town on the road between Yelverton and Plymouth on the outskirts of the latter at SX 508 615.
Royal Oak, The, Meavy, Dartmoor
A pub at SX 540 672. Because this pub is almost exactly half way between where we used to live and where we live now, we often meet old friends here for lunch. Good ale, well kept. Personally I always go for the Jail Ale: if you have the chance, try it! Click here for their web site.
A tor at SX 566 682 and a village below at SX 559 676.
Slapton Ley, South Devon
This is a fresh water lagoon separated from the sea by a shingle bank in Start Bay at SX 822 430.
A market town at SX 485 745, Tavistock has a long history - a Benedictine Abbey was founded about 975 AD, The town takes its name from the River Tavy - a tributary of the River Tamar. Many visitors to the town do not find the river as it runs to the south of the shopping centre. There is a footpath along the river behind the Bedford Hotel which is well worth exploring. One the of town’s main car parks is built further down the river bank near the Wharf - an Arts and Leisure Centre: Click here for their web site.
Tiverton, Devon
Tiverton - or the town on two fords (Twy-ford-town) is sited on the confluence of the rivers Exe and Lowman at SS 955 127. It is listed here because Saul Wivenhoe is at Blundells school (q.v.).
Two Bridges, Dartmoor
Hamlet where two bridges which cross the West Dart at SX 607 750.
HMS Warrior was the first iron hulled ship to be built for the Royal Navy. However, it is not the ship to which Marcia refers but the navy’s operation headquarters at Northwood (q.v.)
Waterstones, Exeter
There are two Waterstones bookshops in Exeter - the one at Roman Gate was a branch of Dillons before becoming part of the group. It was to here that Marcia was invited to a couple of evening events, both of which proved very popular. Essentially these were ‘meet the writer and ask all sorts of questions’ in a very relaxed and informal atmosphere.
Whitchurch, Devon
Village near Tavistock at SX 489 727.
A village on the main road from Tavistock to Plymouth at SX 520 678.