Part 99, Young Snotty, in the Harbour

Part 99

Part of History Pitt

Historical Performance Talks – Video Greetings – Meet, Greet and Mingles – and Merchandise

Visit http://www.historypitt.co.uk for details.

Young Snotty, in the Harbour

My History, Behind the Scenes History, and Fun History

The My History Part

It was the end of May 2010. We headed from the Midlands into Wales. We arrived at the campsite, and set up our small tent as far away from other people as possible. It was quite busy but by the following morning most people were packing up to leave.
We were within reach of Denbighshire and of Harlech, and nearby were a lot of historic sites including Medieval churches and an Abbey. There was a good amount in Denbighshire too, but in the other direction was Harlech Castle. This was built as part of Edward I’s Ring of Steel fortifications. We had never visited this castle before, but being part of the Ring of Steel we knew it would be impressive.
We filled our time there visiting as many historic sites as possible, and our few days were soon up. It was now early June, and next we were heading South, towards Portsmouth, and the sites of the historic dockyard.

Above, HMS Victory, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Photo taken by me,  June 2010.

I have for a long time been quite a fan of Admiral Lord Nelson. I had heard that being 5 feet 6 inches tall he was the ideal height for walking around below deck of a battleship without banging his head. As I am also 5 feet 6 inches tall I was interested in putting this to the test.
This would be done on HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, but first we went on board the Victorian battleship HMS Warrior.

Above, HMS Warrior, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Photo taken by me, June 2010.

Built between 1859 and 1861, from a distance HMS Warrior has the appearance of a ship from the age of sail. However, although she has masts, Warrior is a steam-powered ship.

Above, a below deck view on board HMS Warrior, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Photo taken by me,  June 2010.

She is also heavily armoured and was almost invincible when launched. It is said that she never had to fire any of her forty guns in anger as all she had to do was turn up and the enemy would decide to give in.

Above, some of the guns of HMS Warrior, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Photo taken by me, June 2010.

After a boat tour of the harbour where we got to see some more modern battleships from the water it was on to HMS Victory.

Above, a view of HMS Warrior’s armoured hull,  Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Photo taken by me, June 2010.

Victory was launched in 1765, and is the world’s oldest naval ship still in commission. It was the ship from which Admiral Lord Nelson commanded the British fleet and defeated the larger combined naval forces of France and Spain. The Battle of Trafalgar was a vital victory against Napoleon. With the combined French and Spanish fleets defeated the Royal Navy became the world’s supreme naval power, putting Britain in a position to not only win the Napoleonic Wars, but also to police the high seas, protect merchant shipping, and help bring an end to the Slave Trade.

Above, HMS Victory, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Photo taken by me, June 2010.

Although Nelson won the day at Trafalgar on the 21st of October 1805 he also lost his life. As an admirer of Nelson it was quite moving to stand on the spot on deck where he was struck by a French sniper’s bullet. He had been warned that dressing so flamboyantly and walking around on deck would draw attention from the enemy, but he insisted on doing so in order to command the battle and inspire his men. He held on for hours after being fatally wounded, and it was below deck that he actually died, but not before he heard that the battle was won and the day belonged to him. It was below deck that we now headed.

Above, below deck where the sailors of HMS Victory would have eaten their meals. Photo taken by me, June 2010.

Firstly, I was pleased to see that I could easily walk around below deck without bumping my head – just like Nelson – and after viewing the guns we headed to the spot where Nelson died. A wonderful ship, and a moving experience, HMS Victory is well worth the visit for any lover of Georgian Naval History.

Above, some of the guns of HMS Victory, Portsmouth Historic Harbour. Photo taken by me, June 2010.

After Portsmouth – where we spent a couple of nights in a hotel – it was down to Cornwall for one night in our tent. On the way we stopped at Old Wardour Castle in Wiltshire.

Above, Penny and Me at Old Wardour Castle, on a later visit, July 2022.

Quite a long drive down winding country lanes, Old Wardour is worth visiting if you have an interest in castles. Built in the 14th Century, much of the castle was destroyed by Parliamentarians during the English Civil War but a lot of this wonderful castle still remains intact.

Above, the less intact rear of Old Wardour Castle, on a later visit. Photo taken by me,  July 2022.

As I’m sure many of you know I love castles, but there is also a reason for film fans to visit Old Wardour. That reason is that it was used as the castle of Robin Hood’s father – played by Blackadder 1’s Brian Blessed – in the 1991 film Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner.
It is said that the journey by road to Old Wardour consists of so many narrow winding lanes that Kevin Costnor was flown onto set by helicopter instead.

Above, the more intact front of Old Wardour Castle, which was used in the 1991 film Prince of Thieves, on a later visit. Photo taken by me, July 2022.

If you are a fan of the film then you will be able to spot many familiar places around Old Wardour where several scenes for the film were shot.

Above, Me kneeling on the spot where Kevin Costnor kneels in the 1991 film Prince of Thieves, on a later visit, Old Wardour Castle. Photo taken by Penny, July 2022.

Next it was onto Cornwall. We arrived in the evening and set up tent. It was a very quick visit as the next day we would be heading to London and then onto Morocco for my 40th Birthday.
We arrived at Gatwick late the following day, and spent the night in an airport hotel. The next morning we would be on our way to Africa. We had visited Tangier on a day trip from Gibraltar a few years earlier but I had wanted to spend some time in Morocco for quite a few years. Also, not only did I want to be in Africa when I turned 40 but as a lover of deserts and the Islamic world I also wanted to be somewhere Arabic. I also wanted to spend at least some of my birthday on a camel.

What we got up to and what we saw in Marrakech, and whether or not I did manage to spend some time on my 40th birthday on a camel, I will let you know in the next blog.

The Behind the Scenes Part

  In 1985 a film was released which was the first feature length film made by a British comedy group whose members were already known for other comedy work and who went on to appear in many more British comedy shows. The group was The Comic Strip, and the film was The Supergrass.
  I didn’t see the film until it was broadcast on TV for the first time in 1988. I liked it straight away along with most of what The Comic Strip made.

Above, Ade Edmondson featured on a poster for the 1985 film The Supergrass.

  The screenplay was written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens. Peter Richardson also directed the film and played a major onscreen role in it as well. The other cast members include many British comedy favourites from the 1980s with the main characters played by Ade Edmondson, Jennifer Saunders, Peter Richardson, Robbie Coltrane, and a couple of excellent appearances from Alexei Sayle amongst others.
  The plot centres around character Dennis Carter – played by Ade Edmondson – who talks loudly in a pub about being a big time criminal involved in the illegal drug trade, all to try and impress a girl.
  On leaving the pub he is arrested by the police – due to being overheard in the pub – who believe he actually is a big time criminal, which he isn’t. Whilst being questioned he makes up a story about a big drugs haul coming ashore at a small beach in Devon. The police believe him, offer him the chance to turn ‘Supergrass’ and soon he finds himself on the way to Hope Cove in Devon accompanied by detectives played by Peter Richardson and Jennifer Saunders.

Above, Ade Edmondson, in a scene from the 1985 film The Supergrass, shot in Hope Cove, Devon.

  I had wanted to visit the location since first seeing the film in the 1980s, but it wasn’t until recently that Penny and I got around to visiting the small beach in Devon.

Above, Me and Penny, Hope Cove, Devon, February 2024.

  Almost all of the action takes place in Hope Cove, and most of the buildings used are still easily recognisable. Something else recognisable is the sea wall which is the setting for a very memorable scene with Robbie Coltrane.

Above, Robbie Coltrane, in a scene from the 1985 film The Supergrass, shot in Hope Cove, Devon. This shot is just before the sea wall walk scene.

  He plays another detective who is sent from London to apprehend a boat load of illegal  drugs which Dennis has made up a story about coming into the cove. The scene has Robbie Coltrane walking along the sea wall during extremely strong winds and high seas. He had to wear especially designed shoes to help stop him from being knocked over by the waves which were so rough that the rescue boat refused to go out.

Above, Me in Hope Cove, Devon, February 2024, in almost exactly the same spot where Robbie Coltrane stood in the shot before the sea wall walk scene in the 1985 film The Supergrass.

  This was the mid 1980s, and I don’t think many actors today would be expected to do something so dangerous as this walk, but Robbie Coltrane put it down to there being ‘lots of girls on the beach that day’ and as they were watching he thought he should just go ahead and do it.

Above, Robbie Coltrane in the sea wall walk scene from the 1985 film The Supergrass.

  What appears to be one long wall in the film is actually two walls separated by rocks. The first longer part of the wall is where I immediately had to climb up to in order to reenact the memorable walk from the film.

Above, Me reenacting the sea wall walk, but on a much calmer day. Photo taken by Penny, February 2024.

  It was a much calmer day but even so I almost managed to slip over after taking just a couple of steps. Continuing a little more slowly and carefully I did manage to get to the end. However, what appears to be the end of the wall in the film is actually the end of the other shorter wall on the other side of the rocks. Penny doesn’t like it when I go climbing over rocks, and as I had almost slipped off the longer wall just a few minutes earlier I decided not to climb up this second wall as the only way to get to it without getting wet was to climb over a lot of slippery rocks.
  Hope Cove is a very nice place to visit. There was ample parking when we visited in February but that may not be the case during the Summer. As it was, there were several people in the sea and although dry it wasn’t exactly a warm day.

Above, the end of the second shorter sea wall at Hope Cove. In the film it is made to look as though it is all one long wall while actually it is two walls separated by rocks. Photo taken by me,  February 2024.

  The part of Devon that Hope Cove is in is also not far from historical sites, and as long as you have a car you can easily visit castles and other sites including Buckfast Abbey which is well worth a visit.
  I would highly recommend seeing the film to anyone who is a fan of British comedy of the 1980s. I would also recommend seeing the series of shorter films made by The Comic Strip, in particular the 1988 Mr Jolly Lives Next Door – possibly my favourite along with The Supergrass – which sees Ade paring with Rik Mayall in the leading roles, and also has a couple of appearances from the great Peter Cook.

In the next Behind the Scenes Part I will be talking about two films made in one of my favourite cities in the world. This city is full of history, full of wonder, and in a country with so much to experience. What that city is and what the two films are I will let you know in the next blog.

The History Part

Those of you familiar with Blackadder 3 will be aware that by the Georgian Era most monarchs lived in palaces rather than castles, except for Windsor Castle which is still used by the British Monarch today. Well, in the times of Blackadder 1 and even Blackadder 2 castles were much more important for keeping the monarch safe.

Above, Rowan Atkinson, and Hugh Laurie, as Blackadder, and Prince George, in Blackadder 3.

A good castle needed to be built well, positioned well, and defended well. The best castles – such as those found in Wales built by Edward I – were built to withstand any threat that the builders could imagine. This type of castle needed to have excellent defences.

Above, part of the outer walls of Windsor Castle. Photo taken by me,  November 2023.

  For Edward I’s castles, placed in sometimes quite remote parts of Wales, surrounded by people who mostly did not like you meant that such fortresses had to be built in a similar way to those built by the Crusaders in the Holy Land.
  Positioning where the castle defenders could be supplied with water and – if possible – food meant that even an enemy siege could not make the castle surrender. However, the first line of defence would be the strength of the castle walls and the design of the defences.
  Battlements gave the defenders cover from where they could shoot arrows at the enemy to hold them off. If they got near then rocks could be thrown on them too.

Above, Shobak Castle, also known as Montreal Castle and to the Arabs as Qal’at ash-Shawbak. This Crusader castle in Jordan is very well positioned and would have been very hard to attack. However, it was eventually taken from Raynald de Chatillon by the great Saladin, known to the Arabs as Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub. Photo taken by me, March 2023.

  If an enemy managed to get through the outer defences it would get even more dangerous for them. Arrowslits in the tower walls would give archers excellent cover but a good view to shoot at the enemy. As well as this there were holes above the entrance where more things could be thrown and boiling oil could be poured on an attacker. These were called ‘Murder Holes’ and were used in castle designs all over Europe and the Middle East.
If an enemy did manage to take the castle then it was a double win. Not only would they deprive the previous holders of the castle of their fortress but they would also gain that castle for their own uses.
  In the Holy Land if a Crusader castle was taken by a Muslim army then a small change might be made to the arrowslits. The best design is in the shape of a cross. This gives the archer the ability to aim up, down, left, and right. However, seeing these as a Christian symbol meant that Muslim armies would sometimes block up the arrowslits’ left and right parts so that they no longer were shaped like crosses.

Above, a straight up and down arrowslit in Shobak Castle, Jordan. This would most likely have been made after the great Saladin- Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub – took the castle from Raynald de Chatillon. Photo taken by me, March 2023.

  Castles became less important for safety over time. By the time of Blackadder 1 they were still vital but by the time of Blackadder 2 they were seen less so. However, during the English Civil War – 1642 to 1649 – they became highly used again.
  When the Parliamentarians captured a Royalist Castle – and most castles were owned by Royalists – they had little interest in taking them over but only wanted to deprive their enemy of using them. This meant that the outer walls were often partly destroyed to make them almost useless in defence. This weakening of castles was committed over and over again by Parliamentarians but fortunately often only to one part of each castle, leaving most of the castle intact.

Above, one of the gates of Windsor Castle. Photo taken by me, November, 2023.

  By the time of Blackadder 3 it was the time of palaces. Fortunately for lovers of castles such as me there are many still standing for us to visit. One such castle – which is still entirely intact – is Windsor Castle. Used by monarchs before the time of Blackadder 1, during the time of  Blackadder 2, Blackadder 3, and Blackadder 4, and still in use by the British Monarch today.

Above, Rowan Atkinson, as Prince Edmund in Blackadder 1.

So, next time you visit a castle, have a look as you enter and see if you can spot the arrowslits, the murder holes, and perhaps imagine seeing Prince Edmund dressed in black riding out through the gates on his black stead.

If you haven’t done so already, give the fantastic King of Blackadder on Twitter a follow!
https://twitter.com/pitchblacksteed?s=09

Then take a look at this also fantastic Blackadder fan group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1507847676134507/?ref=share

For more on Harlech Castle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlech_Castle

For more on Portsmouth Historic Dockyard https://historicdockyard.co.uk/

For more on HMS Warrior https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Warrior_(1860)

For more on HMS Victory https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Victory

For more on the Battle of Trafalgar https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Trafalgar

For more on Admiral Lord Nelson https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Nelson,_1st_Viscount_Nelson

For more on Old Wardour Castle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardour_Castle

For more on the 1991 film Prince of Thieves https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood:_Prince_of_Thieves

For more on Brian Blessed https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Blessed

For more on Kevin Costnor https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Costner

For more on the 1985 film The Supergrass https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Supergrass

For more on Peter Richardson https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Richardson_(British_director)

For more on Ade Edmondson https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Edmondson

For more on Jennifer Saunders https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Saunders

For more on Robbie Coltrane https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Coltrane

For more on Alexei Sayle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Sayle

For more on Mr Jolly Lives Next Door https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Jolly_Lives_Next_Door

For more on The Comic Strip https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Comic_Strip

For more on Hope Cove, Devon https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Cove

For more on Buckfast Abbey https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckfast_Abbey

For more on Windsor Castle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_Castle

For more on Shobak Castle https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreal_(castle)

For more on Raynald de Chatillon https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynald_of_Ch%C3%A2tillon

For more on Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saladin