The Nancy Blackett Trust was busy meeting sailors at the RYA East’s Cruising Conference last Sunday. Shown below are Phil Durnford, chair of the Trust’s Sailing Committee, far left, and Robin Sadler, newly-elected Trust Chairman, centre. The third member of our team, Sailing Secretary Mark Taylor, was away from our stand, delivering a breakout talk […]
We all know that Arthur Ransome was complaining of ‘having run out of ideas’ and ‘not knowing where the next book was coming from’ when he was in the process of moving from Low Ludderburn in the Lake District down to Suffolk in order to enjoy some ‘sea-sailing’ again. And it’s true that the purchase […]
Nancy Blackett will be returning to the annual St Katherine Docks Classic Boat Festival in London this coming weekend – 7-8th September. This annual event has become a favourite date in her calendar, and once again she will be open for visitors to come aboard, meet knowledgeable crew members, learn the history of Arthur Ransome’s […]
Nancy Blackett set out from Scarborough on Sunday afternoon and was in Wells-next-the-Sea, North Norfolk, by Monday morning. During her stay in Scarborough she was visited by members of the Bentley family, which had owned her for over a quarter of a century until 1988. Eunice, Bill Bentley’s widow, was brought alongside in a wheelchair […]
[Update: Nancy Blackett arrived in Scarborough at 8am today (19th July) Nancy Blackett, Arthur Ransome’s favourite yacht, is returning to Scarborough this week for the first time in over 25 years, and will be open to visitors during the town’s annual Seafest weekend (19th-21st July). Arthur Ransome, author of Swallows and Amazons, came to Scarborough […]
Amazon, the traditional sailing dinghy that features alongside Swallow in the classic film Swallows and Amazons, will be on display outside the Riverside Cinema, Woodbridge, Suffolk, this Saturday, 13th July, when the film, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is being screened at 2pm. As well as celebrating the anniversary, the event – organised by TARS East […]
Next weekend (29th and 30th June) sees the 50th Anniversary celebration of the original Swallows and Amazons film in the Lake District at the Windermere Jetty Museum. Hosted by the Arthur Ransome Society, the weekend will see the reuniting of the cast and crew with the restored Swallow and Amazon dinghies from the film. There […]
A memorial tribute to the life and work of the late Richard Pilbrow, producer of the original Swallows and Amazons film, was held last month (May 2024) at National Theatre in London. The presentation was put together by his son, Fred Pilbrow, who invited Sophie Neville (who played Titty Walker in the film) to contribute […]
Keen fans of Claude Whatham’s original film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ gathered at the Cinema Museum in London last Saturday for the 50th Anniversary celebrations hosted by the writer and broadcaster Brian Sibley, writes Sophie Neville. After the doors opened at 1.00pm, delicious food and drink was served in the main hall where Hugh Grant held […]
The premiere of Richard Pilbrow’s movie Swallows and Amazons was held 50 years ago at the ABC cinema in Shaftesbury Avenue, London, on 4th April 1974, as a Royal Gala charity matinee in aid of the charity KIDS. This Saturday (6th April 2024) sees a 50th Anniversary Screening of the film followed by a Q&A […]
This year is the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Swallows and Amazons film, with some very special events to celebrate the occasion. On Saturday 6th April at 2.00pm there will be a 50th Anniversary Screening of the film followed by a Q&A session with cast and crew at the Cinema Museum in London. This event […]
It is perhaps a little-known fact that Tower Bridge is legally obliged to open for any vessel tall enough to need it, free of charge (it was a condition of permission for it to be built). Openings nowadays are at fixed times to suit the convenience of the bridge, and the traffic that uses it […]
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