Seeing this lift in our hotel transports me back to the forties and the residential hotels on the seafront at Eastbourne, where I used to visit my grandmother in the school holidays.
It has an open sided shaft so you can watch it ascend—looking up its skirts so to speak; and double hand-pulled filigree metal gates—that clunk satisfyingly shut.
It runs up the spine of the Fowey Hotel, built in 1881 to accommodate the new breed of holidaymakers arriving by train.
It also welcomed wounded soldiers for rest and recovery during the First World War.
It’s a period piece but manages to keep its dignity.
A testament to a time when the coming of the railways changed the face of Britain.
On the wall between the lift and the dining room there are framed letters written by Kenneth Grahame, author of Wind in the Willows, while on holiday, to his son, whom he addresses as “dearest Mouse“.
It is claimed that Kenneth Grahame made a boat trip up Lerryn Creek on the Fowey River with some friends and it became at the inspiration for the first chapter of The Wind in the Willows where the Rat and the Mole make a boat trip along the river for a picnic.
Wicker statues of the animal characters in the book guard the garden near the hotel.
Typical Toad–hogging the foreground!
We are in Fowey on Cornwall’s south coast, for the Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature where I’m invited to give the Daphne du Maurier memorial address which opens the festivities—wow!
The view from our window.
A week of wonderful cultural events unfolds in this unique setting.
Déjà vu is the order of the day.
I was in Fowey 40 years ago filming the rescue of Dwight Enys from a French prison for two quite uncomfortable weeks.
We filmed at sea for two days and up that same creek for the rest—me and my Merry Men all dressed in 18th century gear—doing our best to keep straight faces:
“Follow me, men!”
“Keep your heads down–which way did they go?”
Fowey hasn’t changed much over 40 years–to its credit.
Though charming, it feels like a working place–not a cutesy-poo tourist attraction.
No pressure then–just the main keynote address and the following day a 45 minute talk about my books and how composing daily haikus helped me write them–and the “good luck” story of my diabetic journey.
Going up and down in that wonderful silent lift and soaking up the vista from our window–steadies my nerves!
More to follow…
Robin Ellis 
I remember visiting Fowey many years ago. My deceased husband’s grandparents were from England and we went often to visit some cousins of his. Ron was a sailor, so as long as I kept him in sight of water, he was a happy land traveler and we stayed in Fowey on one of our trips that took us all along the southern sea coast from Rye to Land’s End ( we were living at the time in Rye, NY, sister city to Rye, England!)
I very much enjoy your thoughtful, slow writings, whether they are about cats, food articles and recipes, health & diabetes, travel, etc. Thanks!
Thank you, Althea.
Good Luck Robin wish I was there a beautiful place Fowey and that Hotel looks like time has stood still
So poignant to read knowing how his son met such a tragic end.
Thank you for that.
Seeing this hotel lobby reminds me of Fawlty Towers! I thought you were great in that episode! The cool cop undercover! 🙂
Hello Robin,
What joy for you to be back in Cornwall again. An even bigger joy is that you are sharing Fowey with your readers. I was there many years ago on a Daphne du Maurier pilgrimage so my husband and I stayed in a hotel directly across the River Fowey from Daphne’s house. We parked the car for a week and wondered everyday. My fondest memory is a cream tea on a tiny balcony overlooking the bay full of sailboats It is good news, indeed, that Fowey has not changed. My plan is to see Fowey again during a Daphne du Maurier Festival. In the meanwhile, I’ll treasure your photographs. Thank you.
PS..my head just went into a spin imagining being at the Festival and finding Ross Poldark on the stage.
It was fun.
Robin, I hope you were shown the lovely decorated bus shelter in Fowey.
Missed it, Joan–next time!
You are so lucky to be able to go backwards in time like this, not in a gooey nostalgic sense but at a real, emotional, substantial profit. There is a hardness that is very appealing in your description of the hotel, of a different England that exists no more, and of shooting the first Poldark. Nostalgia with a bite. It’s personal and not personal both. Hard to do, and done very well.
That from you is much appreciated–thank you, Bob.
Ca va?
I haven’t been to Fowey before and very much enjoyed my wander around and my coffee in the sun by the water, before hearing you speak about the haikus, your book and your “good luck” diabetic journey.
I bought the new cookbook- signed of course- and I love Meredith’s photographs. In particular I like the way they have been so carefully grouped to mirror colours or textures, page 97 is a delight to the eye with your cat’s ginger fur matching the stripes of the dry cut cornfield and the plate of golden curry. Gorgeous! Please congratulate her. Last night I made the aubergine slices with garlic and walnut spread, from the book. Also gorgeous.
A feast for the eye and the palate. Thank you both.
I live by the sea in North Devon (with my husband, seven Siamese cats and two Vizsla dogs) so I will be back to Cornwall to explore Fowey further, it is not far.
Thanks again Robin for a great afternoon.
Sallie
Hi Sallie–so nice to meet you and thanks for your comments.
What a lovely part of the world to live–lucky you.
Good luck with your talk! Looking forward to visiting Cornwall someday soon. Am here on the big island of Hawaii after two weeks in Kuaui, Oahu, and Maui!🌴🏄😊 Cheers, Barbara Boling
Sent from my iPhone Barbara Boling
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Fowey… What beautiful surroundings… I had no idea at all. There isn’t much talk or even writing here about the South or North Coast of Cornwall. I thank you very much for sharing it all. And I wish you a most enjoyable stay in Fowey during its Art Festival. Good luck…
Thank you, Robin! Describing life as it once was, and preserving England in some fashion, is very important for the younger generations who otherwise would never know what it was like, once upon a time.
A very enjoyable blog, memories of the filming of the original Poldark series included. I’m going on a visit to Cornwall in later August to stay in a cottage with a friend in Cornwall and I shall be sure to keep this blog in mind as a source of places to visit. The wicker statues are irresistible.
Delightful and interesting account, as always. Was thinking of you anyhow, as today is the day to make the first quinoa salad of the summer. Yum.
Nancy
Santa Fe, NM
Looks a lot like the setting for Doc Martin series. I watch many Brittish mysteries and often see those elevators. Putting Cornwall on my Bucket List. Thank you for the lovely pictures.
Dear Robin:
Reading your website is usually a surprise and a delight. One never knows what you will choose to talk about. It is like having a personal conversation with a dear friend over a lovely glass of wine or hot cup of tea. Love to Meredith for her fantastic photograph.
Thank you Norma for your very generous comment–much appreciated.
Love the Cornwall pics. Great about the intro etc. I remember in the movie CHARADE with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn they had an elevator like that.
Thank you, Mr. Ellis, for sharing Fowey with us. By the way, my doc advised me to lose weight, lower cholesterol, and start taking antihypertensives. I am dieting, eating fresh fruits and veggies. I remember your saying that for your dessert, you had a fig and some dark chocolate. Could you share any other tidbits about healthy but satisfying desserts, and are they included in any of your cookbooks? Many thanks. Karen Schaub, Wisconsin USA
Hi Karen. There is a dessert section in Healthy Eating for Life (available on Amazon) and the new book Mediterranean Cooking for Diabetics (out on August 3rd in the USA). As a rule though I don’t eat desserts.
Thank you, Mr. Ellis, for the info. I will check it out in your book. I’m doing quite well avoiding sweets, but sometimes there is an urge. Again, I appreciate your reply, and thank you for all that you share here! Take care! Karen. Wisconsin USA.
What a pity not to have visited it last Summer! I knew it was the place/area of Doctor Enys rescue (as carefully read in your book “Making Poldark”), but my friend Catia and I had to select places and things to be seen in ten days. There is so much to see in Cornwall! And to walk! I am sure to go back and see more. Waiting for your Episode 2…
Do go back it is a special place, Paola.
Oh Robin, what a lovely account of a beautiful place. You always talk about such interesting things. I spent many happy holidays in Cornwall when my children were growing up. You were a big part of my love of Cornwall, if my husband and I had not watched Poldark we might never have discovered it. Thank you so much for that.
Yes, beautiful and specially so at this time of the year.
You write a good, interesting blog. Feel as though I know a little more of Cornwall. Haikus are little poems, I remember that from my Japanese friends..They gave me a book that their grandmother had written.
Dear Robin, talk about ‘spooky’; I was in Cornwall last week and although we saw the signs for Fowey, we didn’t actually go there. We stayed near St. Austell, visited my mum in Camborne, went to Fort Restormel; Lanhydrock House and Trethevy Quoit, which is a neolithic tomb – among other places. Cornwall is magical and mystical and I just love its atmosphere. I hope you enjoyed your stay in Fowey and the speech went well.
They both went well, thanks and Fowey I am reminded is a gem.