Looking For Fatty & co. in Peterswood/Bourne End

[Anita Bensoussane]

That was great fun, Duncan!

[Moonraker]

Marvellous, Duncan! There must be a sequel in your head, methinks - Dreaming of Enid? It is certainly food for thought that Enid thought up plot-lines and ideas as she went about her life away from a type-writer on her lap.

[Green Hedges]

Thanks for the warm comments.

Actually, Moonraker, I think of this thread as a way of stopping myself writing another book about Enid. I figure that if I can occasionally dip into my Enid obsession/appreciation - and share information with other interested parties - that'll keep me happy, and I can get on with other stuff. But I accept also that she's with me for life.

Nevertheless, Dreaming of Enid is a great title for a book. A visual artist, who shares my interest in David Bowie's music, once suggested that a book of artists' dreams about Bowie would be worth putting together. I suspect a book of dreams about Enid could work also. All it would need is an editor that could separate not so much the wheat from the chaff; but the dreams of children, from the dreams of adults, from the anally painstaking FF dream of a particular contributor to the Journal who I wouldn't want to offend by naming!

There have been a few suggestions about turning aspects of this thread (particularly Viking Star's bold and thoughtful forays into Bourne End) into a talk or an article. And I agree with them. I also think this thread in itself is a work of art! In due course I will print it out and bind myself a copy between covers. That's one of the really fine things about these forums - they allow all sorts of interesting stuff to see the light of day. It is a form of publishing. And, importantly, the material finds an audience. The fact that there have been a couple of thousand log-ins to this thread is great. I know that there is a hardcore of readers who will have logged on tens of times, but that still leaves plenty of occasional readers, and they are from all over the globe. It really is great that people from Australia, for example, have taken the opportunity of visiting Peterswood via Bourne End thanks to this thread and these forums.

The Book Listing on this website is a superb Enid Blyton resource. But the forums contain threads that complement it. I think Bill Smugs implied something along these lines a few posts back.

Hopefully this thread isn't finished yet. In fact I know it's not! VS has promised more and I'll be responding as best I can. With all other contributions awaited with interest.

Oh, Lord, I've left the shed door open. I usually keep it closed when I'm on-line. How embarrassing!

Duncan

[tkurbjuhn]

Are theres chances to identify some house around bourne end or beaconsfield to be the real-life inspiration for Milton House from The mystery of the secret room?

[RainbowJude]

Enid goes on to talk about the Mystery series. She explains how once she'd finished The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage she was horrified to realise it was all about Old Thatch, Coldmoorholme Lane and her attitude towards her first marriage.

I do love this kind of conjectural symbolism. It's fascinating. It's part of the reason I loved Looking for Enid so much!

In this post I am going to focus on the evidence to Green Hedges’ comment that The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage is, in the main, based in and around Coldmoorholme lane...

Reading this post, which one can link to here, made my jaw hit the ground. I loved seeing the photographs. Again, this kind of thing is just absolutely fascinating, all the more so because I've just finished reading the book!

Thanks to all who've contributed to this thread. Wow.

Later days
David

[Viking Star]

Thanks RainbowJude. Glad my find-outing is still being enjoyed.

I have one or two other leads I'd like to follow up when I get a chance....

[Tweenid]

This is indeed an informative and fascinating thread.
I am hoping to go looking for "glues" around Bourne End in the near future-my partner lives in Uxbridge,which is not a million miles away and in fact I was thrilled to have had a Boxing Day walk at Burnham Beeches last Christmas,just after my relocation from Scotland.
Of all the Blyton books,The Five Find-Outers series have always been my favourites and I vividly imagined all the people and places,still do in fact,and it has been wonderful to see Viking Star's photos.

[Shanku]

This thread is too exciting for words. I spent about two hours yesterday reading every word of every post and exploring 'Peterswood' on Google Maps.

Green Hedges and Viking Star, thank you very much for all your 'Find-Outing'. You both truly are first class Find-Outers indeed and I am sure Fatty would have been proud of you!

[RainbowJude]

There's a curious bit when Fatty goes to Pip and Bets house, knowing they're at the Daykins place. He's there in time to see Goon run a warm iron over the sheet of paper to reveal a letter from the Find-Outers to Goon. The letter (which Fatty has switched when he was in disguise) is polite, and Mrs Hilton wonders what Goon has got to complain about! I would have to look at the book again to work out why Enid kept the other Find-Outers out of the way for that scene. Or can anyone else suggest the reason for that off the top of their head, Fatty-style?

Hmmm. This section of The Mystery of the Secret Room didn't strike me as being out of the ordinary until I read this; I'm still not sure it does. I just looked over that section again and it seems a fairly natural development for Fatty to follow Mr Goon to Bets and Pip's house to see whether his switch-a-roo has worked. Since they Find-Outers were all at Larry and Daisy's prior to this incident, it might seem a little contrived for them to all trek across down just to have them there when Mrs Hilton reads the letter. Plus I think that it's a nice way to develop Fatty's character as the one in the group who takes the lead without making it seem like he suddenly has to fulfill that role; it lets him earn his stripes, as it were.

Later days
David

[tkurbjuhn]

To answer my own question from 16.8.2008, this spring I inqired a bit the surroundings of bourne end. Of course, all this is speculation, but I think that Hedsor House could have been the inspiration for milton house of mystery number 3 " secret room".The house itself doesn´t quite fit the description, but the remote place does and it is near the way over the hill.
http://maps.google.de/maps/ms?hl=de&ie= ... 1&t=h&z=15" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[shadow]

Just thought I'd get this to the top of the list. Lots of useful information for those who want to map Peterswood and the first post by Green Hedges has some snippets from MOT Missing Man.

[Moonraker]

Well done Shadow - that's the thread I was thinking about!

♫MoonShadow, MoonShadow...♫

[Green Hedges]

I'm revisiting this theme now that I've got a decent computer. This page takes much of what has been said back in 2008 and updates it for new discoveries, new technology. Enjoy.

http://www.enidblyton.me.uk/styled-7/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gary]

I'm really enjoying what you are doing.Thank you so much for sharing it with us.It is most appreciated.

[Eddie Muir]

My sentiments too, Gary. Many thanks, Duncan.