Sophie Neville continues her exploration of new memories to include in the next edition of The Secrets of Making Swallows and Amazons (1974)…

The International Movie Database (IMDB) lists Billy Mayerl’s composition Marigold as being included in the original film of Swallows and Amazons. This intrigued me. I looked up the music as I couldn’t think where it had been featured. Listen to the original version and see if you can recognise it:

It was ‘played’ on the radio in the chandlery in Rio, laid over the scene when the film was dubbed at Elstree Studios. We didn’t hear it when we were in the actual shop.

Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Simon West inside the chandlery.

The Swallows bought ‘grog’ (ginger beer) and rope for the lighthouse tree. Postcards and wicker shopping baskets hung in the chandlery, which had weighing scales on the counter.

Sophie Neville in Rio with four bottles of grog – photo: Daphne Neville.

This shot was taken during the filming on the corner of Woodland Road, Bowness-on-Windermere during the filming in June 1973. I wonder who the people in the background were – possibly members of the film crew. The man in the blue top looks like Gareth Tandy, the third assistant director, who would have been asking passing traffic to wait while filming was in progress. The building looked like this in 2012 but I need a more up-to-date photo.

Once Tom Kirkbride’s cobbler’s shop, later Mr Cropper’s sweet shop selling rainbow sherbet, Andy Dyker’s Fine Furnishings, a hairdressing salon and now a wood-burning stove showroom.

Jenny Maconchy wrote in to say, “It may be of interest that we still have the bamboo fishing rods that were used in the film. They belonged to my father Leslie Borwick and were lent to the film crew. They are rather worse for wear but are still treasured, as I was a big fan of the books when I was young. Unfortunately I was living abroad when the film was made so have no memories of it.”

The Swallows fishing for perch on Elterwater – (c) StudioCanal.

As a boy, Arthur Ransome had his own perch rod with a coloured float to use at Nibthwaite. Towards the end of the filming, Claude Whatham gave Simon West a similar fishing rod – which Ronnie Fraser taught him to use on Derwentwater.

Ronald Fraser behind-the-scenes on Swallows and Amazons (1974).

A member of the Arthur Ransome Group wrote, “I did not realise that the Lakeside & Havethwaite Railway had only just re-opened in time for the filming. Of course, although Lakeside Station does get a mention in one of the books, it was the Windermere Station where the Swallows always travelled to. Although Lakeside Station would have been far more convenient from Beckfoot, the Great Aunt always insisted on Windermere as it meant fewer changes for her. Incidentally, both Windermere and Coniston Water had rail connections years ago (which is the likely route for the slate from Slater Bob’s mine, although this is not mentioned being outside the scope of a childrens’ story).”

Viginia McKenna at Haverthwaite Railway Station in Cumbria, soon after it re-opened in May 1973. Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton, Lesley Bennet and Sophie Neville are with her. The carriage with compartments is in the background – photo: Daphne Neville.

Charles H Ball wrote: “Swallows and Amazons (1974) was instrumental in helping me through a very stressful period of my life, and writing was a great healer for me. The results of my efforts are in the The Arthur Ransome Society library: Prospectors Afloat and Coots in the North – a completion of the short portion which was published. I will be obtaining The Making of Swallows and Amazons and no doubt many more of your other publications in due course.” 

Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton, Sophie Neville and Stephen Grendon as the Swallows on Wild Cat Island.

I’ve just read that in Zulu folklore, the swallow is known as Inkonjany – the one who points the way to summer. “The swallow, and other birds like it, is regarded by our people as a symbol of effort and hard work as well as of unity, because you will see these birds gather together in large groups as they come and go. The name Inkonjany means the little pointer, and it comes from the verb komba, which means to point out something. It was said that if you saw a lot of swallows in the sky, it meant that the summer and the harvest would be very good.” I felt this applied quite well to the Walker family migrating north for their summer holiday and working hard as being the best crew they could be.

One of the film fans has called her hens Titty and Nancy. I’m sure that Mrs Jackson would have approved.

Do add a comment here about any connections that you have to Swallows and Amazons and the original film.

You can read more in ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ available here from the Nancy Blackett Shop.

There is also a similar multi-media e-book entitled The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons. You can see inside the first section for free here.

This story was originally published in April 2021 by Sophie Neville.