Antiques Roadshow - Enid Blyton's Typewriter

[Kate Mary]

According to my tv listings mag tomorrow's Antiques Roadshow includes Enid Blyton's typewriter. I don't normally watch it but I might make an exception.

[Eddie Muir]

Thanks for letting us know, Kate Mary.

[Jack400]

Herre's what it says in "What's On TV".
"Tonight the team visits the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, West Midlands, where items of interest include a Faberge jewel commissioned by the Countess of Dudley in 1903 and a typewriter used by writer Enid Blyton"
There is a feature, but, this only mentions the Faberge jewel.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Yes, the feature has just been on the show. The man with the typewriter said his mother was cook and housekeeper to Enid Blyton and had a few photos of her with the typewriter.

I was under the impression that Seven Stories had the typewriter, but I must have been mistaken.

It was valued at £5K.

[Courtenay]

Interesting — I would also have thought the typewriter was already owned by a museum or similar. Maybe Tony would know a bit more about it?

[Eddie Muir]

It was quite interesting, apart from the owner of the typewriter saying that Enid passed away in 1971.

[Courtenay]

Probably getting confused with the fact that she passed away at the age of 71 — in 1968!

[Eddie Muir]

That was my thought too, Courtenay.

[Daisy]

Mine too!

[Anita Bensoussane]

I was under the impression that Seven Stories had the typewriter, but I must have been mistaken.

It's likely that Enid Blyton had more than one typewriter over the years.

Thanks for letting us know about the programme, Kate. I'll watch it on iPlayer when I've got a bit more time.

[Rob Houghton]

yes - my dad said it was quite a big typewriter (I haven't seen it yet but will look on iplayer) - whereas in The Story of My Life, Enid has a typewriter that looks quite small and more streamlined as was more typical of the 1950's.

[Tony Summerfield]

I took the whole thing with a pinch of salt! Shame on the Antiques Roadshow for stating that all Enid's books were typed on that from 1935 onwards - what a load of rubbish. Who were those people and exactly when and how did they come by that typewriter - I can't think of anybody who would have given it to them!!

[pete9012S]

No provenance or real facts about how they acquired it - vague reference to 'the daughters'. Seem very keen to sell it...

[John Pickup]

I saw the programme and I didn't like the guy who owned the typewriter at all. I'm surprised that the expert didn't pull him up when he got the year of Enid's death wrong. I agree with Tony, I thought it extremely unlikely that Enid would have used only one typewriter for such a vast output of work. I bet he sells it.

[Jack400]

I also recall the expert looking at the photo of Enid in front of quite a small bookcase and saying that "all" the books she'd written were in there. Pity the programme makers don't do some research and correct details like 1971 in a voiceover.
Later in the programme, the story of WW2 pilot Douglas Bader having a replacement pair of legs dropped by aircraft into France (clear passage assured by the German forces). It included a photo of the pilot and crew and anecdotes of the journey.