P. G. Wodehouse in Lyme Regis Part 4

 

Along with the reminder of the town's scenic splendor afforded in the P.G. Wodehouse novel Love Among The Chickens, I remain curious by how Lyme Regis inspired two supremely talented British authors to write two very different novels. Nor are Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse alone in this. The Lyme Regis Museum website lists quite a few authors who traveled to the seaside town, and were likewise inspired.

 

 

While Britain boasts a plethora of colorful seaside towns, many of which have (or have had) piers, Lyme Regis has the Cobb. Has this man-made structure, which dates back in one form or another to the fourteen century, lent an aura to the town that compelled authors to set their stories and novels there? 

 

 

All of this makes me even more curious as to why P. G. Wodehouse excised Lyme Regis from his novel later on. Originally published in 1906, the author published a revised version in 1921. Among the changes he made was to rename the setting from Lyme Regis to the more generic Combe Regis. 

Combe, by the way, means a small valley through which water does not run.

 

P.G. Wodehouse's visit to Fairfield House in Lyme Regis originally inspired him to write Love Among The Chickens. Perhaps Sir Campbell Munro, the owner of the house, was displeased with his original efforts? Did the townspeople object to the way the author portrayed them? 

Thankfully, I read P. G. Wodehouse's original version. Having visited Lyme Regis, I could better appreciate how the move from his stuffy London flat to the seaside town would have inspired his protagonist, young Jeremy Garnet. And of course, it allowed me to share that journey with you.

 

 

While originally researching points of interest for our 2015 English adventure, I put Lyme Regis on our itinerary because other famous authors had spent their holidays there. In looking back upon my visit, I remember how, just like Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse, contemporary visitors are still drawn to explore the Cobb.

 

 

Of course, you can always find other things to do in Lyme Regis too. 

Dragon Dave

Related Links

Lyme Regis Literary & Artistic Connections