Caversham Court Gardens. Using and adapting local elements in stories

Imagination is what keeps a writer writing but a lot of "what ifs" are triggered by facts, events and places in our daily lives. Recently the Reading Chapter of the Romantic Novelists' Association writers met up to discuss historical research and to visit Caversham Court Gardens. This site has just reopened after a major renovation.

The medieval manor that existed here from the early 1200s was improved into a beautiful Tudor wooden beam and plaster building called "The Striped House". Further additions followed and a total makeover took place in the 1820s, giving the house crenellations and a mock gothic facade. The gardens remained as lovely as ever, with a long terrace and a lower lawn running down to the river Thames.

        

At the back of the gardens the crinkle-crankle wall has been preserved through the centuries. The winding shape both holds back the earth of the hill behind and collects heat which encourages the plants in the kitchen garden to grow well.

The house was demolished in the 1930s but thanks to restoration by the 

                                   Friends of Caversham Court Gardens   

there is now a brick "footprint" of the house, with plaques showing which room was which. Here are some of our writers /researchers, taking tea in the drawing room.

                             

As I live in Caversham, I used this lovely setting in April and May. 

Rivercourt, home of the heroine's aunt, is based on Caversham Court. It is a thrill to adapt something in this way but sometimes I wonder if it blurs reality and imagination a little too much....?

My heroine, Rose, stays with her uncle and aunt at Rivercourt. Rose is artistic and she finds plenty to paint in the grounds of the old house. But her aunt and uncle are antiquarians and more interested in ancient Egyptian civilisation than in keeping their home in good order. While Aunt Emily tries to decipher hieroglyphics, Rose worries about restoring the crumbling plaster, and curing the damp.

                                                                April and May

Latest review of "April and May"

The August 2010 edition of the Historical Novels Review says of April and May

  [after a brief description of the plot]    ....an unusual setting, a tense love story against a background of political intrigue and deadly danger. Some of the details of life in a Turkish household are lovingly described, especially the gorgeous fabrics, but I would have liked more about the city itself and its life. Similarly, the final danger Rose encounters is muted, over almost before it began. Nevertheless, this is a good read and a satisfying love story for those who like suspense and physical danger alongside the romance.

Ottoman elements

The first section of April and May takes place in a wealthy seaside Turkish home, called a yali. These mansions were mainly built of wood and the upper stories overhung the ground floor. They had many windows and so were light and airy inside. The ground floor would only have windows in the inner walls, around the courtyard. On the upper floors lattices covered the windows to ensure privacy.

 The Selamlik was the salon where male visitors would be received for a meeting with the man of the house.
The Harem was the women's quarters and the only men admitted into those rooms would be members of the close family.

This picture of ladies in their part of the house is by Osman Hamdi Bey. He went to Paris to study Law but gave it up to become an artist, studying under two French Orientalist painters. If you like his style of painting, type his name into Google for a marvellously rich series of portraits. He was not only an artist but an incredibly talented statesman and archaeologist.

Research and relaxation

The more times I visit Mavikent, the more layers I discover to the history of the area. We approach the place from Adana, driving past Tarsus, where Cleopatra made her famous visit to Mark Antony, arriving at the city in a gold barge rowed by silver-tipped oars. Then we pass the castle where in 1482 Cem Sultan and the few survivors of his struggle against his brother, the Sultan Bayazid II, slipped down to the sea and set off in a French boat to take refuge in Rhodes.

Korykos and Kizkulesi [ Maiden's Castle]

At Kizkalesi [ Maiden's Castle ] we can set off uphill to an endless series of ancient sites, Greek, Roman and Byzantine, culminating in the sacred city of Diocaesaria, now know as Uzuncaburc [ Turkish for tall columns ] or we can pause at the tiny museum of The Three Graces at Narlikuyu and have a meal in the fish restaurant over the road.

                                  

Fish Restaurant [with River 'Styx' flowing into the sea] at Narlikuyu

Then it's on to Silifke, ancient Seleucia, spreading along the Goksu river that comes tumbling down wide and green from the Taurus mountains. There is plenty to visit in this pleasant town, whether we want to study the history of the place or simply visit the shops and wander round the huge Friday market.

North of the town is a monument to Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, who drowned in a sudden flood in June 1190, while camped on the river bank on his way to the Third Crusade.

                                        

Beach and half-hidden village of Mavikent

But we proceed along the Antalya highway until we reach the almost hidden turnoff for Mavikent. We make our way over the top of the hill and down a series of hairpin bends until we reach the end of the peninsula and enter this secret village. Our aim is relaxation and some research for more stories...with an Ottoman theme.

The Pirate Coast

The southern Turkish coast, north of Cyprus, is rugged and wild. The Taurus Mountains in the background rise high and jagged, sending everything tilting down towards the sea at a sharp angle. The whole region is fragrant with pinewoods and myrtle. The bright green slopes, the dazzling blue sky and the turquoise and deep lapis of the sea create a rich background to life here. The sun shines on at least three hundred days of the year.

 This area has been inhabited since very ancient times.The ancient entrance to the Underworld, where the River Styx flows, can still be visited [by the intrepid] near the little town of Kizkalesi.You can hear the mainly underground river roaring along as you descend into the grotto, which quickly becomes dark and slippery. This is the Cave of Heaven [Cennet in Turkish]. A little further up the hillside is the chasm of Hell [Cehennem]. Prisoners to be punished were cast down into this horribly deep maw. The only way to get in - or out - alive, is on a rope....

The river reaches the coast at Narlikuyu, and flows into the sea after passing through the Greek and then Roman bathhouse with its mosaic of the Three Graces. This is now a one room museum, opened up as required when tourists arrive.

To preserve the mosaic, the water has been diverted back underground at this point [very close to the sea]. It is said that bathing in the water of this river keeps you young. In olden days the pirates put into the bay to take on supplies of this fresh water where it flowed into the sea. Now the rivermouth is firmly in the middle of an open air fish restaurant, where it is the main attraction.

Pirates are only seen on Sundays when they run hour long boat trips from Bohsak Bay or Tasucu Port along the coast to Tisan and back. Of course, any other activities are kept as secret as ever.

Book Launch for APRIL AND MAY

This story has some links to events in my own life. The heroine has a family home in Caversham [where I lived as a student] and where I came back to live after a number of years abroad. She also goes to Constantinople, a city I have visited often. The only difference is that I love it and she prefers London.
She then returns to Caversham....

This launch was a very enjoyable party and the laughter and the interaction of my guests was very gratifying. Oh, and I sold quite a few books. I hope everyone enjoys the story. Waiting to hear about that.
Well, actually, there have been some positive comments already.

APRIL AND MAY My new story is published

The cover of my new story [published on 31st May] shows sunset over Constantinople.


It is May 1804 and Tom Hawkesleigh is engaged on urgent secret business for the Sultan. The last thing he needs is for three English ladies to arrive at the embassy, demanding help, especially when he finds that one of them is Rose, the girl he has been trying to forget.

Rose is no better pleased to meet up with Tom, the man who abandoned her.

But life in Constantinople is bewildering and dangerous. And the Sultan's chief minister, Kerim Pasha, draws Rose into the secret plan. Danger follows even when Rose returns to London. Tom is desperate to help but she remains fiercely independent. Yet, underneath, as she discovers what drove Tom away four years previously, all her barriers come down. But by this time it may well be too little too late...
Istanbul [as Constantinople is now called] is a magical city and one I've been visiting for over forty years. One day, while crossing the Bosphorus in an 'ordinary' ferry boat, I saw a small wooden caique with red and gold cloth draped over the cabin and being rowed by a dozen sturdy young men in traditional costume with sleeveless red jackets. It's a tourist attraction and costly, but it must be a wonderful experience to glide from Europe to Asia in such a way. Of course, I had to make use of a caique in my story.

Having a Turkish husband, I've been fortunate to experience much hospitality in many homes and many different regions of Turkey. I've tried to convey the sheer kindness of the welcome they give to visitors.