Richard Pilbrow produced the original movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) in which I appeared in a as a girl. I’m told that it has been broadcast on television more times than any other British movie and has been an inspiration to many.
Arnaldo Putzu’s poster for the EMI film Swallows and Amazons (1974)
Back in the early 1970s, Richard was busy producing iconic West End musicals such as ‘A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to The Forum’ when he was inspired to make a film adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s novel while taking a break in the Lake District.
Richard Pilbrow on location with his colleague Neville Thompson ~ photo:Daphne Neville
He said the most difficult task he ever took on was persuading Mrs Ransome to grant him the rights. Arthur Ransome had famously disliked a BBC adaptation and passionately did not want a ‘Disneyfication’ of the book based on his own childhood memories.
Richard said that raising the film finance was relatively easy. Nat Cohen of EMI Films happened to be looking for a classic story akin to ‘The Railway Children’, which had been a box office success. He’d never heard of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ but an assistant in his office was wildly enthusiastic and Richard secured a budget of £250,000 to make a ninety minute movie entirely on location in the Lake District.
Producer Richard Pilbrow and Director Claude Whatham discussing the script in the Capri on Derwentwater. Molly Pilbrow is in the boat with them ~ photo: Daphne Neville
Richard loved being out on the water and took Mrs Ransome to find authentic locations. Being determined that the six children playing the Swallows and the Amazons should be able to sail well, he advertised in yacht clubs and interviewed about 1200 candidates. I met the director at the Theatre Project offices in Shaftesbury Avenue. Those short-listed were taken on a sailing weekend in Burnham-on-Crouch to see how they coped afloat.
Richard Pilbrow, Claude Watham, Fred Pilbrow, Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton
Mrs Ransome kept a close eye on the script, insisting that the part of Titty was played by ‘an English rose’, which must be why I was cast as the heroine.
Sophie Neville as Titty Walker in the ITV trailer for the movie of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ when it was first shown on television in 1977
My mother came up to look after us six children who played the Swallows and Amazons. We landed on Wild Cat Island and began playing out the characters that sprung from the pages of the book.
Daphne Neville and Richard Pilbrow on Peel Island on Coniston Water in 1973
Claude Whatham was actually the second director appointed to work on the film. He had only made one other feature – ‘That’ll Be The Day’, starring David Essex and Ringo Starr, but he was an outdoorsy person and got on well with Richard who gave him a free rein. They embraced the 1929 period and the idea of somehow capturing childhood innocence.
Producer Richard Pilbrow with Director Claude Whatham in their wet weather gear at The Secret Harbour on Peel Island, Coniston Water
Unpredictable Lakeland weather and working out on the water could make scheduling and logistics a nightmare but Richard had the support of an excellent production team working under Neville Thompson who also organised the post-production work at Elstree Studios where the film was post-synced.
Producer Richard Pilbrow and Production Associate Neville C Thompson on Derwentwater
Neville was passionate about film making, becoming known as ‘the last gentleman producer.’ Although gregarious at times, he was a quiet man who had begun working as a location manager for Mike Newell and became a production manager for Ken Russell.
Neville C Thompson, the Associate Producer relaxing on set – to be fare this shot may well have been taken on Sunday 24th July 1973, by Daphne Neville
Neville was diagnosed with Lukemia at the age of 47 but lived another twenty years, ending his days in Woodbridge in Suffolk. you can find his impressive list of production credits here
Director Claude Whatham with Sophie Neville, Stephen Grendon, Suzanna Hamilton and Simon West. Producer Richard Pilbow looks on ~ photo: Daphne Neville
The Pilbrows spent their family holidays on the Isle of Coll, so it was not surprising that Richard wanted to make ‘Great Northern?’ as a sequel even though Mrs Ransome wasn’t keen.
Henry Dimbleby and Rosemary Leach in ‘Coot Club’ and ‘The Big Six’
Sadly it was too difficult in the mid-1970s to raise money for filming and Richard never produced another movie. He sold the rights to adapt ‘Coot Club’ and ‘The Big Six’ to the BBC, and I saw him in Norwich in 1983 when I was setting up the drama series with Joe Waters.
When Richard heard that I was giving talks on ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974)’ he kindly sent me Swallow’s original burgee and Captain Flint’s white elephant flag, along with a Jolly Roger – all handmade props used in the original film.
We last met up in Covent Garden when he came to London to receive an honour from the Central School of Dramatic Art where he had originally studied Stage Management and Technical Theatre Studies.
Sophie Neville with Suzanna Hamilton
He later wrote to thank me for collecting information on how the film of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was and writing about the impact it had. He loved hearing about our Q&As at cinemas and admired StudioCanal’s remastered DVD. ‘They really did a beautiful job—a very subtle enhancement.’
Simon West, Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Sten Grendon in Secret Harbour
I sent Richard and his family on safari to the Waterberg in South Africa, where he ended up riding a horse past grazing rhinos. He is survived by his three children, grandchildren and his wife Molly who worked as his assistant on ‘Swallows and Amazons’.
Sophie Neville in Swallow
Richard’s obituary in the Telegraph can be found here
The momentous story of his life and work is recorded in his memoir ‘A Theatre Project’ available online here.
Suzanna Hamilton, Richard Pilbrow and Sophie Neville
People often ask how making the original film of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ influenced my life. What struck me when I last saw the 1974 film trailer on Amazon Prime was that it begins with Titty saying, ‘The endless trek, through the Sahara Desert…’ In 1985, I did just that, crossing the Sahara on an expedition led by Charlie Mayhew, now CEO of the charity TUSK. I made my first documentary on the aid projects we worked on when we eventually reached Kenya. Had uttering those lines when I was little influenced my decision to drive from London to Johannesburg?
Sophie Neville on an endless trek, crossing the Sahara Desert – photo James Lindsay
People who know Arthur Ransome’s books are able to point out where the original film of Swallows and Amazons made mistakes. Janet Mearns noted that the Swallows ‘certainly didn’t take enamel mugs’ camping, ‘because they took extra in case of breakages.’ I had never noticed!
Andrew Clayton pointed out that, ‘Someone (Hugh Brogan?) Said that John was the lad he wanted to be. Titty, while based on an original person, carries some of his dreams and literary interests.’
Making a film while crossing the Sahara Desert in 1985
Peter Wright, former chairman of The Arthur Ransome Society, noticed that I sang ‘Adieu and Farewell’ instead of ‘Farewell and Adieu to you fair Spanish Ladies’ as the Swallows sailed from the jetty below Holly Howe. I now realize this mistake may have been due to the influence of ‘The Sound of Music’, which was the first movie I ever saw in the cinema. Captivated by the big screen at the age of four, I must have had the lyrics – ‘So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu, Adieu, adieu, to yieu and yieu and yieu,’ imprinted on my brain.
I didn’t sing very well, but one of the secrets to the integrity of the film was that there was no vanity. None of us sought to further ourselves. Self promotion was an unknown concept. We had no personal agenda. We were not there for the money or any reason other than to live out the life portrayed in the books. All of us spurned the publicity and still find it surreal.
Someone also said how much they would have loved to live through a scene from ‘Swallows and Amazons’. We were fortunate enough to live through an abridged version of the book, which is what my parents hoped. It must have been one reason why my headmistress let me take a term off school to appear in the film.
Sophie Neville writing letters from Africa with the author Rebecca Hunter
Since then I went on to lead a ‘Swallows and Amazons’ style life, exploring unchartered territory, which isn’t always easy, I was touched when a fan of the books wrote:
‘Arthur Ransome has helped me through some very difficult times – when you are at your wits end to know what to do or where to turn, it is so refreshing to return to the Lake, or Norfolk, to a peace and tranquillity where you can forget your problems and just enjoy the adventures of the Swallows, Amazons, D’s, Coots, wherever you happen to be.’
Sophie Neville in a vehicle that we submerged in Moremi. The shoes were later stolen in Mosambique, the Toyota in Johannesburg ~ photo: Rebecca Hunter
Nigel H Seymour wrote, ‘…every-time I put the ‘Swallow’s and Amazon’s film on, I’m transported into another dimension and another time. it’s so very refreshingly simple and innocent, it radiates with a romanticism and happiness which has sadly been lost now for ever, but luckily we have the film and we still have ‘You’….. to keep the memory alive!’
The audiobook of The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974
Sophie Neville being made up for the part of Titty by Peter Robb-King in 1973
Peter Robb-King, the Make-up Designer on ‘Swallows and Amazons'(1974) rang up to say he had my milk-tooth that had fallen out half-way through a scene with Virginia McKenna. ‘It’s in a metal film canister, which I’d taken to a dentist to try and get a replacement.’
He said that although not his first movie, ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was his first film when he was in charge of Make-Up design. ‘I hoped initially to work at the BBC but was turned down for being a man.’ It just happened that he went on a supernumerary training scheme for feature film make-up in 1968, starting on ‘The Avengers’.
He said the highlight of his career would be impossible to pin point, but he worked on some iconic movies including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Legend with Tom Cruise and some of the Star Wars, Batman and Indiana Jones pictures. At one time he rescued a parrot while making an Indiana Jones film in Sri Lanka. ‘Three ring-necked parakeet chicks were thrown out of their nest by a crow and rescued by the animal handler. One was adopted by Stephen Spielburg, another by the production manager, while Peter and his wife brought up the third, which lived with them for twenty-five years.
Ronald Fraser as Captain Flint with Daphne Neville and Sophie Neville playing Titty Walker on Derwentwater in 1973
Peter knew Ronnie Fraser’s addiction to alcohol would be difficult for the crew to deal with but managed to get him in and out of the make-up caravan.
‘He wasn’t alone at the time. There were a number of screen actors at the time who you’d think would never be able to say a line but they’d end up word-perfect.’ He didn’t recall any difficult moments with Ronnie. Peter reckoned that one of the reasons why they didn’t make a sequel could have been Ronnie’s problem. ‘He may have damaged his own career. It’s difficult for the other actors.’ He thought it sad that there was never a sequel.
Ronald Fraser, Peter Robb-King (make-up) and Ian Whitaker (set dresser) on the houseboat in 1973
Peter told me that, ‘Denis Lewiston (the director of photography on ‘Swallows and Amazons’) was scared of green. He didn’t like photographing the colour green, which everyone thought hysterical since we were filming in the Lake District.’
Dennis Lewiston, director of Photography on ‘Swallows and Amazons’ ~photo:Richard Pilbrow
Denis Lewiston, the brilliant cinematographer, has died but he was around to approve the remastered version of the BluRay and DVD of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in 2014. After a long and fulfilling career he will be remembered fondly and admired for the numerous films he made, seeking excellence with every sequence.
To see some of the shots Denis set up for the film of ‘Swallows & Amazons'(1974), please click here for the BFI site. Peter assured me that a recent industry survey of children’s films rated ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) as one of the best ever.
Peter Robb-King was one of the few people to formally retire from the film industry. ‘It’s very rare. Many people don’t retire. They just stop working.’ His daughter sent him a picture of him making me up on the set of Swallows and Amazons. ‘I remember what I looked like then, so it was interesting.’
The classic film Swallows and Amazons – currently streaming on Amazon – was made fifty years ago, and yet it still fascinates viewers. Here are a few interesting questions and points raised by Arthur Ransome enthusiasts that I ought to include in the next edition of my book written to accompany the remastered DVDs. It’s now out as an audiobook.
Roy Haslam wrote: ‘Must be a wonderful feeling to be connected to Swallows and Amazons that is loved by millions.’
I replied saying it could be overwhelming, but his comment made me think: If you could chose any movie to appear in what would it be? The amazing thing about the 1974 version of Swallows and Amazons was that we made it entirely on location. There were no computer graphics. There was no studio work until we reached the post-sync stage. We simply lived out the pages of the book.
Radio Times 1979 when ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was first broadcast five years after it was released in cinemas
Mike Clay thought, ‘for you children it must have been a confusing mixture of great excitement, frustration and boredom!’
It was in someways, but I would not say I was frustrated by anything more than falling behind at school. Missing the summer term put me in the second stream for Maths.
Hilary Dodd wrote: ‘I worked at the Warterhead Hotel at the time they were making Swallows and Amazons and the lead actors stayed there. Virginia McKenna, Brenda Bruce, Ronald Fraser, if memory serves. I was in charge of taking their order for dinner and generally making sure that they had everything they wanted in the restaurant. Miss McKenna was charming and treated all of us with courtesy, respect and politeness. The film company threw a big party at the end of filming for the locals as a thank you for the hospitality they received. We all worked incredibly hard but it was an exciting experience.’
‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) screened on Talking Pictures TV on 30th December 2021
David Thomson says he was sixteen at the time and a film extra in the Bowness scenes. ‘One member of the crew used the name Pierse Jessop when chatting up pretty girls in Ambleside.’ He was around on set but not a member of the film crew. As I remember, he provided the mobile loos.
A local lady told everyone she played Dame Virginia McKenna in the long-shots. I miss-spelt her name Toni Turner. It was Joni Turner. This idea could have been mooted as a possibility, but in the end there was no need for a double. Joni worked on set as Suzanna’s stand-in for a few days and is wearing Mrs Walker’s cardigan in one behind-the-scenes shot so she might have worked as a stand-in for Virginia McKenna, enabling the lighting cameraman to set up before the actors arrived on set.
Mike wrote that, “re-reading the stories virtually taught me to handle a dinghy. My thanks go to Arthur Ransome!”
Roger Sturge added, “Roger Altounyan taught my parents to sail in Mavis aka Amazon on Coniston Water in 1936.” He would have been aged about fourteen. “They always said while they were learning, Arthur Ransome would sail round them, but I’m not sure of the veracity of that… My first of many childhood adventures sailing on Coniston was in Amazon as a one year-old.”
…. a review of the DVD by Kieron Tyler who later observes, ‘it is also amusing watching… John (Simon West) bossing his younger brother and sisters about’, which is true! He read the wind, while we just sat in the boat waiting for orders.
Noel Flay Cass of The Arthur Ransome Group: ‘To put it in sailing terms, it can be very easy to think that you are a good sailor, or that sailing is easy, when the wind and tide are with you. It’s worth remembering that it might not seem so when you are always tacking against an ebb.’
Jennifer Bailey writes: ‘For the record, my daughter loves that you call out “Kill, kill!” approaching the houseboat. She finds Titty gratifyingly bloodthirsty.’
Neil Jeffery ‘Living on the coast in Cornwall as a child, I fell in love with the lakes first through your film and then the books! As a young child I so wanted a friend like Titty.’ He added, ‘I always escape back in time every year or so, most often with Swallows & Amazons. All classics, and probably led to my first career as a Deck Officer in Merchant Navy.’
You can watch the film trailer on Amazon Prime
The 1974 film was described as, ‘An escapade that brims over with laughter.’
‘I certainly think ‘Swallows and Amazons’ is top-of-the-crop of those made in 1973/74. The others haven’t stayed in the public mind anywhere near as long. I think ‘Swallows and Amazons'(1974) fully deserves the appellation ‘Timeless Classic’.’ Daivd Butters ‘You don’t realise how much thought and hard work goes into filming even a short sequence. I love the story about the sheep!’
I’m often greeted as a long-lost friend. It’s because characters in the stories have become friends to many.
Sekhmet of the Terven KPSS wrote that as a child, ‘I was so convinced that the Swallows and Amazons were all real people that I wrote to them to ask if I could go sailing with them. My mum kindly wrote me a postcard back from them. I recognised her handwriting, but it was still a lovely thing to do.’
One good thing about the film is that it helps us understand more about the book of Swallows and Amazons and subsequent novels in the series. Jon Blanchard writes, ‘I am just reading Picts and Martyrs noticing it is the only book where the Amazons appear without the Swallows. Then I wondered why the Amazons, unlike the Ds and Swallows, do not appear in a book on their own. And I came up with an answer. Nancy and Peggy are only seen through the eyes of the others. We get to see through the eyes of Titty, Roger and Dorothea and know their thoughts. We also see into the minds of Dick and occasionally John, although they are less interested in other people. But we do not get into the minds of Susan and the Amazons. Everyone looks up to Nancy and Peggy is her sidekick, so they would not work as the centre of consciousness in a whole book. All the others have doubts and anxieties however much they long for adventure, but Nancy never. There would not be any tension.
This year, Amazon, the iconic dinghy used in both the 1974 film and 1963 BBC serial of Swallows and Amazons was on display at the Southampton International Boat Show. The Arthur Ransome Society, who now own her, brought her down from the Norfolk Broads especially for the event.
Sophie Neville with Amazon, the dinghy from ‘Swallows and Amazons'(1974)
Thanks to volunteers from the project ‘Sail Swallow and Amazon’, it was great chance to find out about the literary society and chat about grabbing the chance to sail Amazon yourself. She has been renovated and is looked after by Hunter’s Yard near Ludham.
Amazon will soon be available to hire at Hunter’s Yard, Ludham
You can watch Practical Boat Owner’s video taken last year.
Amazon is available to hire from Hunter’s Yard on the Norfolk Broads from 27th September until the close of the season on about 6th October. Please contact Hunters Yard near Ludham who also have the Titmouse available.
An article published in Classic Boat read:
This film gives you a quick squizz around the Boat Show when you see the Foredeck Stage where Sophie was speaking.
This is a transcript of the notes I made to prepare for it:
It’s fifty years since ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was filmed on location in the Lake District, can I ask: how did you go about getting the role of Titty?
The extraordinary thing was that, as a normal schoolgirl, I didn’t do a thing. A letter arrived out of the blue inviting me for an interview. Forty years later, when I put an extract of my ebook on ‘The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons’ up on Goodreads, one reviewer wrote that it was ‘a good idea for a novel but a bit far-fetched.’ They didn’t realise that my story was true.
The prospect of risking film finance on six unknown children must have been daunting. Claude Whatham the film director, knew both me and Sten Grendon (who played Roger) as he had cast us in the first BBC adaptation of Laurie Lee’s memoir Cider With Rosie, back in 1971. He’d given me the part of Eileen Brown because I could play the piano well enough to accompany Laurie Lee on violin in the parochial church concert. I stumbled through ‘Oh Danny Boy’ at an agonising pace but did exactly what I was told. You can still buy the DVD.
After my first audition for the part of Titty, a group of us were taken on a sailing weekend to see how confident we were in boats but I was never asked to read for the part as you might expect. There was no film test. It all happened very fast. The letter was sent on 30th March. By 14th May 1973, we were shooting the first scene with Dame Virginia McKenna playing my mother.
Dame Virginia McKenna as Mother with Sophie Neville as Titty Walker
Tell us about your time on the set and the recording of the movie. The ninety- minute feature film was shot on 35mm almost entirely on location in the Lake District where we were based for seven weeks. The first set was a railway carriage, which was nice and warm. It was soon a twelve-foot dinghy out on Coniston Water when I wore nothing more than a thin yellow dress and a pair of navy blue elasticated knickers. The experience was usually chilly, and involved a great deal of waiting around, but we survived.
Sophie Neville with Suzanna Hamilton
I’ve got to ask this, what was it like to work with Virginia McKenna? Dame Virginia was charming and brought us together as a family, helping me to concentrate on the story. I had a few scenes alone with her on Peel Island when Titty, who is pretending to be Robinson Crusoe, persuades her to play Man Friday. It was unexpectedly embarrassing because I lost a milk tooth halfway through one sequence and grew self-conscious about opening my mouth. I coped better when handling her boat. I’m longing to be invited on a chat show when they gather together all the film actors who’ve played Robinson Crusoe. I’m pretty sure that I’m the only woman who has embodied the character in a movie.
Sophie Neville as Titty
I’m curious, were you able to sail before getting the part or did you have to learn? I grew up by a lake and had crewed for my father so I was used to small boats, but it was Simon West and Kit Seymour who were the brilliant sailors. Their skill shines through and made the film great. Some of the maneuvers were quite scary.
Filming Swallows and Amazons (1974) from a camera pontoon
No one asked if I could row a boat and yet Titty rows in three crucial scenes. It’s more difficult than you might think when you have a Panavision camera onboard or are effectively towing the camera boat. We now have a modern dinghy which we sail on the Solent, with a little more attention to safety.
Nina Nannar interviewing Sophie Neville for ITV News at Ten
If I remember rightly there weren’t a lot of life jackets in the movie. Was health and safety not such a concern then? The story is set in 1929, so none of us wore life jackets in vision. We could swim but the water was freezing and our wooden boat lacked buoyancy of any kind. My father, who was an experienced sailor, was not happy with the safety aspects and nearly took me home. We’d been fine while sailing free but nearly collided with the Lakeland steamer while Dad was dressed as a film extra, looking down on us from the deck. He insisted on a safety officer after that.
Are you still a sailor or do you feel that part of your life is over? The Arthur Ransome Society has just acquired both Swallow and Amazon, the clinker-built sailing dinghies used in the film, which are being restored for members to sail. I’m very much looking forward to taking them out on Windermere. I am also a member of the Nancy Blackett Trust who keep the first yacht that Arthur Ransome bought with his royalties from ‘Swallows and Amazons’. I’ve sailed her on the Orwell, on the Solent where I live, and through the inland waterways of the Netherlands. You too can join the trust and imagine yourself as one of the characters in Ransome’s books ‘We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea’ and ‘Secret Water’ in which his yacht is cast at the Goblin. It’s wonderful reading those novels when you are on board.
I can’t help but wonder, how did your acting career help in your writing career? It helps when writing dialogue – and film scripts.
Sophie Neville directing a sequence with BBC cameraman Lorraine Smith
Why the change from acting to writing? As soon as I graduated from university, I went into television production at the BBC in London, where I began writing my first piece for Nicholas Parsons in 1982. I went on to write or edit about seven programmes that I produced when working for BBC Education. I only began writing books and articles in 1999 after turning professional as a wildlife artist. This was useful as I’ve been able to draw on my stock of illustrations including decorative maps, which always look good at the beginning of a book.
You wrote a book, which I am reviewing for the magazine, called The Making of Swallows and Amazons. What was it like revisiting your past in this way?I began writing that particular memoir as a blog using the diaries and scrapbooks that we’d kept on location as children. I was aided by other members of the cast, fans of the film and members of both The Arthur Ransome Society and Arthur Ransome Group on Facebook who helped me with historic detail. Once published, additional stories floated down from Cumbria, which was exciting. It’s now in its second edition and is out as an audiobook. I’ve been gathering information for a third edition and a book about the making of ‘Coot Club’ and ‘The Big Six’, a serial made by the BBC that I worked on behind the camera in 1983. The first three chapters have already been included in the DVD Extras package.
What does a writing day look like for you? I usually wake early, sit up in bed and write for two or three hours before the emails pour in. If possible, I’ll keep writing until lunchtime, but the admin of life tends to encroach on my time.
Let’s get personal, maybe a silly question for a sailor but on holiday do you prefer sea or mountain and why?Ah, you must read my book ‘Ride the Wings of Morning’. I enjoy summer sailing but prefer riding horses through the hills.
If you could go anywhere in the world to write a book where would it be and why? I’ve written most of my books in South Africa where the climate agrees with me. It’s easier to concentrate in the wild.
Sophie Neville at Camp Davidson in the Waterberg
What’s your favourite meal?I’m a Celt – 57% Scottish with a bit of Danish blood. You’ll find me at the seafood bar ordering gravlax followed by a rare steak – preferably from stock reared on the moor.
Do you prefer keyboard or notebook and pen?I work with a notebook and pencil to start with, then bash away at my laptop, which is not good for the posture.
The original diary ~ Funnily Enough by Sophie Neville
Last question, which one of your books do you recommend to Mom’s Favorite Reads readers?I recommend ‘Funnily Enough’, based on a diary I kept about my family and the tame otters we kept. It’s light and amusing but says something about love and friendship. I hope it will inspire others to keep a journal or begin sketching. You’ll find an audiobook and a kindle copy illustrated in colour. I hope it proves a blessing.
You can read more about Wendy H Jones and contact her via her website here
You can find information on where to buy Sophie’s books on this website here
This question is often typed into search engines. Arthur Ransome was living at Low Ludderburn above Windermere when he wrote ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in 1929, setting it on ‘The great lake in the north’. Like me, he undoubtedly did a bit of wondering, and was inspired by many of the locations that can be seen from Windermere, envisaging the island Blake Holme as a model for ‘Wild Cat Island’ and Silver Holme as ‘Cormorant Island’ nearby.
Martin Neville aboard MV Tern on Windermere
The ‘native shipping’ on Windermere was brought to life in the 1974 film when the Swallows narrowly miss hitting the MV Tern.
MV Tern on Windermere was built in 1890 with a steam engine, converted to diesel in the 1950s, and is still operating today.
On the deck of the MV Tern on Windermere in 1973 ~ photo: Martin Neville
It was a tricky sequence to shoot and since Swallow lost her wind in the lee of the steamer she only just managed to turn in time.
You can read more about this near disaster in the diary I kept here
My father’s view of Swallow attached to the camera pontoon from his position on MV Tern ~ photo: Martin Neville
The other big scene was shot at Bowness-on-Windermere, referred to as Rio in the story.
Rio – or Bowness-on-Windermere in 1973
Steamboats such as Osprey and the Lady Elizabeth, who is currently residing at Windermere Jetty museum, appeared in the background.
The film crew of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ wait with Swallow and Stephen Grendon at the end of the jetty while Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton and Sophie Neville line up by the launch
Had we arrived in Rio? Arthur Ransome confirmed this in a letter to a young reader:
When the movie was made in the summer of 1973 the original green boat sheds, featured in Ransome’s sequel ‘Swallowdale’ were captured on film.
Is that the steam launch Osprey moored to the jetty?
Kit Seymour who played Nancy was watching the filming. You can just see the original bandstand with period cars parked in the background.
The bandstand and shelter on Glebe Road were also caught on celluloid, along with the traditional Windermere skiffs. You can see more photos of the filming on this website here.
The Price children, Perry Neville, Jane Grendon, Tamzin Neville and Pandora Doyle in their 1929 costumes on the shore of Lake Windermere at Bowness in 1973
The Swallows in Woodland Road, Windermere in 1973
After buying rope for their lighthouse tree in Woodland Road, the Swallows walk down Church Street past the Stags Head Hotel.
John, Susan and Titty walking down to the jetty
Other scenes were shot nearby, with the film opening on a steam train running along the River Leven on Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. You can add details about the locations yourself by contributing to the website Reelstreets which logs film locations in the United Kingdom.
Talking to the engine driver on the first day of filming ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in 1973 (Photo: Daphne Neville)
When Richard Pilbrow, the film producer asked Mrs Ransome to point out more, she claimed the Peak at Darrien could be found on Windermere. She may have been thinking of a headland at Waterhead but in the end the opening titles shot was taken from Friar’s Crag on Derwentwater with the Borrowdale Fells in the background. The secret is that the 1974 film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was also shot on Coniston Water, Elterwater and a lily pond near Skelworth Fold.
The Kirkstone Foot Hotel, Ambleside in 1973
In real life, Richard based his production office at the Kirkstone Foot Hotel near Ambleside at the northern tip Windermere and it was from here that we practiced sailing Swallow and Amazon in May 1973. Here is a description written by my twelve-year-old self:
Preparing for filming Swallows and Amazons by sailing on Windermere
Virginia McKenna, who starred in the film as Mrs Walker, was accommodated at the Langdale Chase Hotel on the lake. The wrap party was held there to the great excitement of children in the cast. You can see the view on the hotel website here.
Dame Virginia McKenna on Windermere in 1973 – photo: Philip Hatfield
The 40th Anniversary DVD includes an Extras package on the locations and you can read more in ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’, available online in different editions here or direct from The Lutterworth Press.
The original movie ‘Swallows and Amazons'(1974) was filmed mainly on Peel Island on Coniston Water in the southern Lake District. It is here that you find the Secret Harbour described in Arthur Ransome’s books. He explained, ‘no island on Windermere has a harbour quite so good.’
Simon West, Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Sten Grendon in Secret Harbour
The BBC Television adaptation of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ made in black and white in 1963, starring Susan George as ‘Kitty’, was also shot at Secret Harbour. The director said he wanted to dynamite some of the rocks, which did not go down well with the Ransomes.
The entrance to Secret Harbour can’t easily be seen from the shore, which of course is what makes it so secret. With the right vessel, you can go there yourself, but it has not been possible to camp or light a fire there since the property was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1932.
StudioCanal have recently made this photo of Captain John available as a print from their website where you will also find the photo of Secret Harbour above.
You can attempt to swim to what is known in the books as Wild Cat Island, but only if you are hardy and used to cold water. I could hardly manage a few strokes.
Falcon with Amazon in Secret Harbour: photo Geraint Lewis
The appearance of the natural harbour changes dramatically depending on the level of the lake. Rocks are revealed as water levels drop. The inlet can attract a number of canoeists but if you arrive early, you should be able to explore the island for yourself.
Sophie Neville (Titty) with Simon West (John) looking down into Secret Harbour
See if you can find the steep rocky cliffs of ‘Wild Cat Island’. Does this shot, above, appear in the original film?
The rocks at the end of Peel Island where the Collingwood family traditionally had picnics
We filmed the ‘Not a breath of wind’ scene on this lookout point to the right of the photo above.
The Swallows on Wild Cat Island
See if you can find this tree that Titty tried to sleep in.
‘Up a tree for fear of ravenous beasts’ ~ photo: Daphne Neville
The shot of Nancy and Peggy surrendering to the Swallows was taken from the lake showing the mossy rocks to the western side of the island.
Lesley Bennett and Kit Seymour as the Amazon pirates dancing with rage on Peel Island
We discovered rocks on the eastern side were easier for collecting water and gutting perch for supper. This shot shows us behind-the-scenes.
Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton, Stephen Grendon, Lesley Bennett and Kit Seymour with David Blagden on Peel Island Coniston
This is the scene that was improvised after Susan showed Roger how to fill the kettle.
The landing place today looks very different to what you see on the film as the shingle beach built up by our art department has all-but washed away.
Simon West as Captain John rowing towards the Landing Place
Claude Whatham and David Bracknell with Swallows, Amazon and the 35mm Panavision camera at the Landing Place on Peel Island – photo Richard Pilbrow.
Arthur Ransome may have had in mind the beach at Low Peel Near on the mainland opposite the island, which would match his illustrations. This is where Houseboat Bay was set in the 2016 adaptation of ‘Swallows and Amazons’. Sponsored by Yorkshire Film, they used Plumpton Rocks in North Yorkshire for the campsite as it has interesting rock formations. You can read more about the locations they used on Visit England’s website here.
The camp site featured in the original film can be found in the middle of Peel Island. The secret here is that a couple more trees were ‘planted’ so that the tents could be strung up in line with descriptions in the book. As children we never knew this but I worked it out on a later visit.
Sophie Neville playing Robinson Crusoe in the movie Swallows and Amazons (1974)
You can see the pine tree next to Captain Nancy is listing to one side in this shot.
One secret was that the night scenes set at the camp site were shot inside Mrs Batty’s barn at Bank Ground Farm.
Sophie Neville as Titty
The art department cleverly set up tents there and lit a real fire.
In 1973 there were no tall pines on Peel Island. A huge effort was made to take a lighthouse tree there, but the scenes ended up being shot on Friar’s Crag on the mainland above Derwentwater.
It was here that the ship’s lantern was hoisted up the tree.
A different location again was used for the lighthouse tree when the Swallows first spot the Amazons as the houseboat needed to be seen beyond them.
Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton, Sophie Neville and Stephen Grendon as the Swallows at the Lookout Point on Wild Cat Island
The secret is that this tree was no more than a log planted by the prop men. You only ever see its base.
The island first spied by the Swallows is Rampsholm on Derwentwater with the Borrowdale Fells rising behind it. It makes an iconic shot for the opening titles..
‘Swallows and Amazons’ 1974
You can also see it in the background of scenes shot near Cormorant Island.
Amazon moored near Cormorant Island on Derwentwater with Rampsholm in the distance
Rampsholm was portrayed as Wild Cat Island in the 2016 film adaptation of Swallows and Amazons produced by Nick Barton. You can see the photos and find out about the locations used on the National Trust website here
Arthur Ransome was also inspired by Blake Holme on Windermere, which he would sail past in Swallow II. It is a small island near the shore where the 1963 BBC drama was filmed but by 1973 it was felt to be too close to the caravan park on the mainland.
The Coniston Launch Company have information on how to visit Peel Island here. Remember that is it located quite far from Coniston and that you can’t camp on the island.
The Gondola on Coniston Water today, re-built and restored by the National Trust and powered by steam.
The original VHS version of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974)
The Arthur Ransome Society has launched a new venture: Sail Swallow and Amazon
The classic dinghies from the original Swallows and Amazons 1974 film are being restored by Hunters Yard at Ludham on the Norfolk Broads. We are looking forward to welcoming people to come and sail, or row, the boats in due course. Hopefully, the Amazon may be ready this June, but Swallow‘s keel needs attention so she will be not be seaworthy until next season.
Amazon being restored at Hunter’s Yard, Ludham
Next year – from 28th-30th June 2024, both boats will be appearing at the 50th anniversary celebrations of the 1974 filmat Windermere Jetty in the Lake District. All welcome! We are hoping the dinghies will be joined by some of the traditional steamboats that appeared in the Rio Scenes such as Osprey and the Lady Elizabeth.
How old were you when you first read Arthur Ransome’s books? Did you have a favourite storyline or character?
My father devoured the Swallows and Amazons books as they were published in the 1930s. I was a slow reader but must have started the series aged about ten or eleven as I’d read seven of the twelve by the time we arrived in the Lake District to make the film in 1973. I enjoyed the practical aspects of the books and most readily identified with Mate Susan, although I counted all the characters my friends. Ransome published thirty other books. Some are heavy going, but I enjoyed his autobiography.
Sophie Neville as a child ~ photo: Martin Neville
Have you re-read the books since your childhood? If so, how has your perception of the books and the characters, in particular Titty, changed?
I’ve re-read most of the books in the Swallows and Amazons series and gain something new each time I read Swallows and Amazons, recently appreciating how important Titty’s imagination was to progressing the story. Her ideas take the plot forward. I ended up writing an article on how Swallows and Amazons can be seen as an allegory to missionary work undertaken by Arthur Ransome’s great aunts, one of whom received a Boxer arrow in her bonnet for her efforts in China.
Simon West and Sophie Neville on Peel Island in 1973
Do you think playing Titty influenced your own personality? If so, how?
Titty helped me to look beyond the saucepans and concentrate on creative endeavors rather than getting bogged down by management and administration. Acting in the film instilled in me a work ethic, responsibility and striving for excellence. Looking back, the part was a huge burden to lay on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old but it was worth it. The film has had an enduring quality and is still broadcast today. I find constant interest when I’m in social or sporting situations. For me, it has truly been a case of ‘Swallows and Amazons Forever!’
Sophie Neville as Titty and Stephen Grendon as Roger rowing to Cormorant Island
Do you remember what you wanted to be before you became an actress? Did a writing career ever interest you as a child?
I acted professionally from the age of ten until I was twenty-one, going into television production at the BBC before I became a writer. I’ve also worked as a safari guide, wildlife artist and – thanks to Titty – as a cartographer. You can see a few maps I drew on my website here.
I’ve undertaken quite a bit of charity work, fundraising and acting as webmaster for The Waterberg Trust. I can’t remember having strong career ambitions as a child but knew art to be my strongest subject. I have a visual brain that flits about. Keeping a diary and constant letter writing has helped me develop my writing and has given me a huge quantity of material to draw upon.
Suzanna Hamilton with Sophie Neville as Titty busy writing the ship’s log
What led/inspired you to become a producer?
Claude Whatham was a ground-breaking director who inspired all those around him, but directing became a viable option at Opera Camp, annual amateur productions we took part in over our summer holidays as teenagers. I began directing plays at university and developed a burning desire to direct for television, always ‘looking for the shot.’ By producing documentaries, I got to direct and put them together, editing voice-overs into a narrative arc. I would now like to adapt my own stories for film, so have Final Draft software on my laptop and Witness Films Ltd registered as a UK company, but although I have a couple of ideas out to tender, I’ve been concentrating on polishing my historical novels.
Director Claude Whatham with his cast of Swallows in 1973
I’ve read that before filming Swallows and Amazons, you were in a production of Cider with Rosie. Was playing Titty anything like your experience of playing Eileen Brown?
Claude Whatham directed bother Cider With Rosie (1971) and Swallows and Amazons (1974) so the experience was similar. I also appeared in a Weetabix commercial he made in the Cotswolds. All three productions were set in roughly the same period, but Titty’s costumes, designed by Emma Porteous, were easiest to wear. Cider With Rosie was the most daunting production as I had to play the piano, which required three days of intensive practice. Titty only had to draw, write and row a boat, which was much more my thing.
Titty working on the chart
Working with Virginia McKenna was amazing. Hugely inspirational and one of our most iconic British film actresses, she taught me a great deal – and still does.
Virginia McKenna playing Mother in Swallows and Amazons
What were your favourite and least favourite parts of the filming process?
We loved eating iced buns on set but hated hanging around in the cold. There was a lot of waiting for clouds to pass in the Lake District where I spent days clad in nothing but a thin cotton dress and enormous pair of navy blue gym knickers. I became more interested in the technical aspects of filming rather than acting, which for us children was more a case of ‘Let’s pretend.’
Claude Whatham showing the 16mm camera to Simon West and Sophie Neville. Sue Merry and Denis Lewiston can be seen behind us.
What were your first impressions of the Lake District? Had you ever been to the Lake District before filming Swallows and Amazons?
My parents had taken me to the Lake District as a three-year-old and loved going themselves, so it was a treasured destination in my family. I was dazzled by the lakes and mountains. Holly Howe (Bank Ground Farm) above Coniston Water is a very special place. I love gazing up into the Langdales and walking up into the fells. We were members of the Steam Boat Association, something I have written about in my book,Funnily Enough and I returned over Lockdown to appear in BBC Antiques Roadshow when Swallows and Amazons was profiled.
Sophie Neville aged three in the Lake District
How detailed was the diary you wrote during the filming? Had you ever thought about turning your notes into a book before you were persuaded to write The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons?
I’ve put every page of my diary kept whilst making Swallows and Amazons on my blog at Sophieneville.net/swallowsandamazons My mother kept them, nagging me to write them up for years. Finding the time was difficult but I got there in time for the 40th Anniversary of the film’s release when StudioCanal brought out a DVD with an Extras package we appeared in.
What was the writing process like? eg. challenges
The challenge with adapting a diary is to eliminate inevitable repetition but something extraordinary or disastrous happened everyday whilst filming Swallows and Amazons. With so much filmed afloat or on islands, it was an incredibly difficult production to work on and made a story in itself. I enjoyed finally bringing the book to life and interacting with readers who so kindly sent in reviews and comments. Some love hearing what we all went on to do after the film. One reader did not want to know, but I included this as there were many interesting links and coincidences, especially since I worked on the BBC serialisation of Coot Club and The Big Six.
and favourite moments?
It is very exciting when the first paperbacks arrive. Every author enjoys unpacking that box.
The first edition of The Making of Swallows and Amazons
What is the most surprising thing you’ve learned as a writer?
I never guessed how many times I would need to re-work my books. Each one is read though and edited repeatedly, on and on until it flows well and reads flawlessly. Recording the audiobooks has opened up a whole new world. I narrated them myself, which was far more complicated than I imagined. It’s difficult to digest the fact that I am on Spotify and the audiobookstore. Funnily Enough is selling well on audible.
Do you have any events lined up to promote the book?
Yes, I list the events on my website sophieneville.net/events I’m hoping to be signing copies at the Royal Thames Yacht Club in April and Southampton International Boat Show in September.
I often give illustrated talks on how Swallows and Amazons was made and Q&As at cinema screenings. I’ve begun running workshops on photographing books at literary conferences, which is proving popular.
Giving a talk on how sailing sequences are filmed
Could you tell me a little bit about your other books?
Merry Christmas EveryoneandWrite Wellare anthologies to which I have contributed a chapter. I have written Forewords to four books, including the Czech version of Swallowdale by Arthur Ransome, and Swallows, Amazons and Coots by Julian Lovelock. I have a couple of non-fiction books waiting in the wings including The Secrets of Filming Coot Club. The first three chapters have already been included in DVD extras for the remastered version of the DVD.
Swallows And Amazons Forever! (Coot Club & The Big Six) SPECIAL EDITION [DVD]
Are you currently writing anything, either to do with Arthur Ransome or entirely separate?
I often write articles for magazines, which have connections to Swallows and Amazons, and have completed two historical novels, which are set in East Africa.
Finally, could you tell me about your other pursuits such as your litter picking, art and the combination of the two? Have art and conservation always interested you?
I have always been passionate about wildlife conservation, often giving talks about otters since they are the key indicator species we have been active in protecting as a family. I am taking part in the Race for Reading by litter picking whilst walking the coast to raise funds for the UK literacy charity SchoolReaders. I sometimes make collages out of the rubbish to attract attention to the composition of sea plastic. You can see examples of this and my paintings on Instagram @Sophienevilleauthor
Richard Pilbrow produced the original movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) in which I appeared in a as a girl. I’m told that it has been broadcast on television more times than any other British movie and has been an inspiration to many.
Sophie Neville 