A journey through Ladybird Land

It’s been quite a tough year and I wanted a holiday – but didn’t have the time or the energy to go very far afield. With minimal planning, husband and I hopped in the car last week and headed off on a road trip. Just to get us started, I suggested we visit a few places that I know have appeared in Ladybird illustrations.

First stop was Lewes in East Sussex and, although I can’t think of any illustration in a Ladybird book that features the town, I could get pretty close. Every day I post a picture or two on social media, either a picture from a Ladybird book or an illustration by a Ladybird artist. At the start of the trip I posted this delicate, complex picture by artist S R Badmin (who would later illustrate ‘The Ladybird Book of Trees’. The picture is called ‘Mulberry near Lewes’.

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There is an ancient Mulberry Tree with rambling, twisted branches in Grange Gardens, to the East of Lewes; I’ve visited it on previous occasions and wonder if it is that one.

The next stop on the route was Salisbury – whose Cathedral (much admired in Russia) graces the front cover of the Ladybird book ‘Churches and Cathedrals’.

We stopped for coffee in Shaftesbury – and although, again, I couldn’t think of a direct ‘Ladybird’ connection, I would say that the famous Hovis ad that was filmed there counts as a key component of a Ladybird childhood. Here’s a picture, if you don’t know what I mean. (I should also add that it looked like a very nice place to live, with warm, friendly people and not nearly as touristy as I’d feared).

We stayed in Dorchester that night, and I was able to make a stretchy connection between our wonderfully eccentric b&b and this picture from the Ladybird book ‘The Story of Furniture’.

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The next day we were on to a real Ladybird location – one I have written about previously but never before actually visited: Bridport. The blog post in question is well worth a read, if you enjoy the magic of Ladybird Land. Anyway, in addition to the picture of the Wesleyan Chapel featured in Churches and Cathedrals, writer of said book, David Scott Daniell lived in Bridport for a few years. Scott Daniell was an important figure in Ladybird land. He wrote a great many books for them – one day I really should count them up – both under his own name and a pen name that he adopted, ‘Richard Bowood’. Scott Daniell was a friend of Ladybird artist Robert Ayton, who was equally prolific for Ladybird and who illustrated (among many other books) the aforementioned ‘Story of Furniture’, and ‘Churches and Cathedrals’.

Unfortunately, when we got to the chapel (now Bridport Arts Centre) we found out that it was closed. Nil Desperandum. My husband was just taking a photo of me outside the building, standing-in for the Morris Traveller in the original illustration, when a lady appeared with keys to the building. When I explained what we were doing she very kindly invited us to look around the building, although it was closed to the public. That was the moment when I realised I had truly entered a portal into Ladybird Land – that sort of thing always happens there.

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It was lovely to the see inside the centre – and to see the fascinating old building – the site of the amazing coincidence when Caroline met Helen (go on, read that post!) and to talk to Dee, who runs the centre. She explained that they now are at risk of losing the site; in order to safeguard it, they are in the process of a huge fund-raising appeal. I promised I would mention the fundraiser on my website so, if you have any connection to Bridport or would simply like to help bring a historic building back into community ownership, the details are here: https://www.bridport-arts.com/cometogether/ (And yes, we made a donation).

I liked Bridport – it had a strong, ‘Ladybird’ sense of community and some great shops. There was even a proper Ladybird-esque toy shop, with a hand-painted sign and beautifully crafted book display, that could have come out of a Peter and Jane book.

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Naturally, right next to the Arts Centre there was a secondhand bookshop. Did I go in and buy a couple of Ladybird books? Why yes – yes I did.

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Then onwards to Montacute House. I had been to Montacute only once before – 43 years ago. I had always wanted to go back and revisit the long-gallery – but it turns out I should have waited for 43 years and 6 months: the long gallery is closed for restoration and won’t open again until early next year. Nil Desperandum.

I then tried to identify this exact scene – from the Ladybird book ‘Houses and Homes’ by Ladybird artist Robert Ayton, but didn’t get it quite right. Ayton himself lived for a short period in the gorgeous village of Montacute – which is probably where he met writer Scott Daniells (who, as Richard Bowood, wrote ‘Houses and Homes’).

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That evening we were booked into a hotel in Arundel so had to dash cross-country and didn’t have time to stop at the village of Hambledon. Why Hambledon, you ask? Well it’s the location of two wonderful Ladybird images – the ‘huge bat’ scene from ‘The Story of Cricket’ and then the classic that is ‘The Little Red Hen’. Such a shame we couldn’t make it there – frankly, I was actually on the brink of a bit of desperandum. I posted the picture on social media that evening, regardless.

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To console myself, the next day in Arundel I scoured a wonderful 3-storey bookshop (it might have been called ‘Kim’s’) and came away with a bag of vintage Ladybird books. Desperandum all gone.

Then back again to Lewes, to end the trip where we had begun.

On the last day of the holiday, we went to the lido in the seaside town of Saltdean. I have a particular fondness for the early travel posters of the Ladybird artist Septimus Scott and have one in my living-room (Scott went on to illustrate all but one of the ‘Uncle Mac’ Ladybird books).

Visiting the lido was like walking into one of his 1930s posters. They lido even has some of the glorious, fine-knit bathing costumes on display (why didn’t they go saggy?) in a case near the entrance. Oh the art-deco glamour!

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I forgot to mention that the principal ‘Ladybird’ attraction of Lewes was our hostess there – my good friend Jenny. Jenny is the daughter of golden-age Ladybird’s editorial director, which makes her Ladybird royalty. What’s more, she was immortalised by artist John Berry in the Ladybird book ‘In a Hotel’ – as the lovely young lady getting married.

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Then home to Warwickshire – land of ‘Warwick the Kingmaker’. The magic of Ladybird Land did not fail me; I came back refreshed.

Now tell me, do you know the places I visited? Have I missed any Ladybird links?