Sophie Neville

Points to add to the 3rd edition of ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’: part seven

International Movie Data Base listing for ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974)

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.

‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) on BBC iPlayer

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.’

You can watch the film trailer on the Amazon Prime site

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.

Talks on making the original movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) and tips on filming afloat at the Southampton International Boat Show 2023 this September

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) — 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 — Amazon will soon be available to hire at Hunter’s Yard, Ludham

Sophie Neville, who captured the Amazon when she played Able Seaman Titty in film, gave illustrated talks on the Foredeck Stage at the Southampton International Boat Show on the afternoons of:

Friday 15th September – Press Day

Sunday 17th September

Thursday 21st September – Women and Marine Day

Sunday 24th September

Sophie Neville speaking at the Southampton Boat Show

Sophie signed copies of her book on ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ at the Medina Bookshop near by. Based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, they specialise in maritime books.

Sophie Neville signing books at the Medina Bookshop stand at Southampton Boat Show

You will find the story of how Sophie handled the Amazon as a twelve year-old in this month’s edition of Practical Boat Owner magazine and you can read more here.

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.

From Actress to Author a life in Creativity – an interview with Wendy Jones

The audiobook of 'The Making of Swallows and Amazons' — The new audiobook

I was interviewed about working in film and television on Episode 170 of The Writing and Marketing Show. You can listen it on Spotify here

On Apple Podcasts here or scroll down here to the podcast entitled: From Actress to Author: A Life in Creativity

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.

Virginia McKenna with Sophie Neville in Swallows and Amazons — 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.

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.

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 with Sophie Neville on ITV News — 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.

Sophie Neville at The Nancy Blackett Day

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.

Ride the Wings of Morning by Sophie Neville

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 on Triple 'B' Ranch in South Africa — 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.

'Funnily Enough' by Sophie Neville — 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

Was ‘Swallows and Amazons’ filmed on Windermere?

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.

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.

The Swallows row into Bowness - a film still available from StudioCanal — The Swallows row into Bowness – a film still available from StudioCanal

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 at the Haverthwaite Railway Station on the first day of filming 'Swallows and Amazons' in 1973 (Photo: Daphne Neville) — 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 — 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, written by Sophie Neville, when aged 12 — 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 — 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.

For mugs or other gifts showing my map of Windermere, please click here or here for the cream and green map

Swallows and Amazons mugs — Mugs printed with maps used to illustrate Sophie’s books

‘Which island was Swallows and Amazons filmed on?’

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.’

Swallows and Amazons 1974 - Simon West, Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Sten Grendon in Secret Harbour — 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 and Simon West in Swallows and Amazons 1974 — 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.

See if you can find this tree that Titty tried to sleep in.

Sophie Neville up a tree on Peel Island — ‘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 on — 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.

Sten Grendon, Suzanna Hamilton and Sophie Neville on Peel Island. This photo is available as a print from Studio Canal

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.

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.

The Swallows at the Lighthouse tree Lookout point — 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..

Title graphics for 'Swallows and Amazons' 1974 — ‘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 National Trust’s steam yacht Gondola will take you down the Coniston Water to see the island from the lake, although they never land there.

The author Jon Sparks has more information and amazing photos here.

The locations of the 1974 film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ have been examined on the website Reel Streets. Leave a comment if you can add to the story.

You can find a map of Arthur Ransome’s locations on Coniston Water on the cover of the ebook on ‘The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons’ available for £2.99

It can also be found within the paperback on ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974) published by The Lutterworth Press

10 Tips for Photographing Books

On Sunday 16th July 2023, Sophie is giving an online talk on photographing books at a Summer Festival of Books and Writing, detailed on Facebook here. Please add your own to the comments section, below.

Funnily Enough – the paperback has black and white illustrations

Book reviewers and writers need a huge variety of photographs to illustrate blog posts and social media stories. I run informal workshops at conferences to show writers what can be achieved quickly and easily. It’s fun and we’ve had some great results. Many were simple but worked well.

'The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974) by Sophie Neville' — Different editions of ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974) by Sophie Neville’

I use a spotlight and various props while authors bring along their books and publications. I help them to dress a shot to inspire reading and we snap away with iPhones, taking shots for summer reading and ‘Ideas for Christmas’.

We feature ebooks on Kindle or open a magazine to showing articles.

Ten tips:

Always use a spotlight – a desk light will do, or wait for lovely outdoor light.
Think of who is going to read your book, where, when and why.
Chose a minor colour used on the cover for your background eg: gold or dark grey. A cashmere pashmina or plaid tablecloth can look good.
Only use 1, 3 or 5 props with a limited palette of colours. Don’t distract from the book.
Useful props include sunglasses and a straw hat with a few leaves to suggest summer reading, spectacles and comparison books with a steaming cup of coffee or glass of wine for winter, wrapping paper and ribbon to suggest giving a book as a present. Vintage black and white photos illustrate 20^th Century historical fiction well.
Tap the screen on the spot you need in clear focus, such as the title.
Frame as closely as you dare. Try to feature the spine.
When you take portraits of people, animals or birds, compose images with one eye in the centre of the shot.
If you want a comic shot, cut your subject off at a shoulder joint.
Play around with the picture until you get it right. Discard any that aren’t perfect.

Take three aspects for each set up: square shots for Instagram, landscape shots for blog posts, Twitter or Facebook and portrait aspect for Facebook or Instagram Stories. Check out publishers’ photos for ideas.

An idea for an historical novel coming soon

Enjoy yourself. It should be quicker and easier than using Canva or computer generated images but that is fun and you can add graphics:

Sophie Neville won the Create! Prize for Photography in 2020.

Her memoirs include ‘Funnily Enough’ serialized in iBelieve magazine, ‘Ride the Wings of Morning’ and ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974)’ published by The Lutterworth Press. She is working on two novels set in East Africa, which have been winning writing awards.

originally featured in Christian Writer magazine

A Swallows and Amazons drama workshop

‘Drama is conflict’ – or so Anna Sher of the Islington Theatre Group told me. I would say, ‘Conflict and resolution’, as it’s the outcome that moves the story forward and ultimately brings it to an uplifting end.

Here are some drama exercises you can try based on ‘Swallows and Amazons’. I’ve added soliloquies, as students often need these for auditions. There should be enough variety here for everyone to get a chance at playing their favourite character. Props needed: Treasure chest and green parrot.

1. A soliloquy for one actor or an exercise for two to five actors:

The conflict: Titty and John go though internal conflict wondering how they can persuade their father to let them sail out to an island and camp there.

The resolution: Their mother agrees after they receive a cryptic telegram

Simon West, Sophie Neville abd Suzanna Hamilton in Swallows and Amazons — receiving the telegram, ‘…if not duffers won’t drown’

2. For two actors:

The conflict: Nancy and Peggy think of different ways of getting their uncle Jim away from his type-writer in the houseboat.

The resolution: Blaming each other for the fuss caused by letting off a firework.

3. For a group of six actors:

The conflict: Nancy and Peggy confront the four Swallows camping on ‘their’ island and give them a number of reasons why they should leave.

The resolution: The parley and plans of what to do next.

Kit Seymour (Nancy) and Lesley Bennett (Peggy) on Peel Island 1973

4. For two actors:

Conflict and disbelief: John approaches Captain Flint to deliver the charcoal burner’s warning, but Captain Flint thinks that John set off a firework on his cabin roof.

Resolution: the apology from Captain Flint.

5. Soliloquy for one actor:

Internal conflict: Titty hears an owl hoot, so expects the Swallows only to see the Amazons arriving in Secret Harbour. What is she going to do?

Resolution: The Swallows come across Amazon at anchor only to find Titty inside.

6. For two actors:

Conflict: John has to go and apologise to his mother for sailing at night. She is upset that he left Titty alone on the island and his responsibility is questioned.

Resolution: He promises never to sail at night again.

7. For seven actors and a box:

Conflict and disbelief: Titty tries to tell Captain Flint that she knows where his treasure is hidden. He doesn’t believe her. John and Susan think she was dreaming or made it up.

Sophie Neville and Simon West with Ronald Fraser playing Captain Flint

Resolution: Titty and Roger find the treasure. Nancy and Peggy, Titty, John, Susan and Roger present Captain Flint with the chest containing his treasure, and punish him for his disbelief, bringing the story to an end when Titty is rewarded with the green parrot.

Run all these exercises together with eight actors and see if you get a synopsis of the whole story that you can mould into a performance.

Ronald Fraser with Sophie Neville, Kit Seymour, Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton and Lesley Bennett — The original film Swallows and Amazons (1974)

This could be accompanies by simple sea-shanties (which being written in about 1795 are out of copyright) opening with ‘Farewell and Adieu to You Fair Spanish Ladies’ Here’s a different version on Youtube:

and closing with a rousing chorus of ‘What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor’.

What will we do with a drunken sailor?
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
What will we do with a drunken sailor?
Early in the morning!