More memories of making the original film ‘Swallows & Amazons’ in 1973 with the film actor Ronald Fraser

David Stott has written in to say, “When l got the job driving for ‘Swallows and Amazons’ l think I took over the production car when Jean McGill started driving you children around in the mini-bus.” This must have been in May 1973 when the original film of Arthur Ransome’s classic book was being made in Westmorland.

David explained that, although he lived in Ambleside at the time, he has not seen Jean since the filming, so enjoyed reading that I had been in touch with her.

“Jean’s Mum was called Girlie and she used to run a nursing home on Lake Road. Jean had a brother who was nicknamed Blondie.  We would often have a cup of tea with Girlie in the nursing home kitchen.”

David has all sorts of memories of filming ‘Swallows & Amazons’ in the Lake District that I knew nothing about. “Jean mentioned that she took Ronnie Fraser for an early morning glass of champagne to get him going.  I remember having to take him to the Lodore Swiss Hotel in Borrowdale while filming on Derwentwater.  He would order what he called, ‘A Frazer’, which was some sort of vodka cocktail.”

David was only about seventeen at the time. Driving Ronald Fraser around must have been something of an eye-opener.  “I remember bringing him back to film ‘walking the plank’ and he was very drunk at the time. Expect he needed it for the cold water.  He could be a little difficult when he had had a few.”

“I was rather star struck when l was driving Virginia McKenna,” he admitted. “On one occasion I had to drive her from the farmhouse on Coniston to Grange railway station. She was telling me all about filming ‘Born Free’ with the lions and I drove a bit slowly as l was enjoying her company.  We arrived rather late and l had to throw her and her luggage onto the train just as it was leaving.” I asked Virginia about this but she couldn’t remember ever being late for the train. I can only imagine that David must have coped well.

“On another occasion I think l had Richard Pilbrow in the car,” he was the producer of the film. “We were driving back from Derwentwater when a cow jumped off a bank and landed on the bonnet, causing quite a lot of damage.  I was dreading going back to Browns Motors and telling Alan Faulkener the owner what had happened.” Richard is still alive and well.

David, who now owns Crossways Hotel near Glynebourne,  comes from an old Cumbrian family. His  grandmother lived at High Green Gate, the farm next door to Beatrice Potter  Hilltop. “My great grandfather was Farmer Potatoes in the ‘Tale of Samuel Whiskers’. It was sketched from a photograph that my mother still has.  There is shortly to be an article in Cumbria Magazine about Beatrice Potter’s relationship with the Postlethwaite family.”

One of our locations – Haverthwaite Station today

“My father was the local joiner in Ambleside. He also kept about 1000 hens and delivered eggs around the hotels at the weekends.  My brother and l would often help him on a Saturday morning.” David obviously knew the roads of Cumbria well.

You can read more about David’s adventures in ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ available in paperback from all the usual places.

Author: Sophie Neville

Writer and charity fundraiser View all posts by Sophie Neville