Those that were born here… those that died here… those that are buried here… We explore the esteemed literary heritage of Bournemouth and Poole and the names there associated…

I used to complain when I was younger that no one famous seemed to come from my home town of Poole and its neighbour Bournemouth. But as I grew up, not least through running a magazine based around my local area, I discovered that is far from the case. Even more relevant in my capacity as a writer, it turned out that several names associated with the two towns are pretty big in the literary world. So, it turns out I share a connection with these members of writing royalty…

JOHN LE CARRÉ – BORN IN POOLE

The great spymaster John le Carré. Responsible for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Night Manager, and Smiley’s People, among others. A man who we sadly lost at the age of 89 last year. He was born David Cornwell in Poole, same place as me, to Nicholas Cornwell, a known associate of the Kray twins. However, his grandfather held more of an esteemed local presence. Namely, that he served as Mayor of Poole in 1929. Le Carré is not quite as much of a symbol of my hometown as local smugglers and pirates (true story). But it’s still very proud-making to share such a connection with the king of the spy novel.

THE DURRELL FAMILY – LIVED IN BOURNEMOUTH

As most recently dramatised on TV in the series The Durrells, the Durrell family, including authors Gerald and Lawrence Durrell, lived in Bournemouth prior to their famed move to Corfu in the 1930s. They re-settled in and around the town after their return from the Greek island at the onset of World War II. Louisa Durrell, the matriarch, died in Charminster in 1964, and Margaret (Margo) Durrell kept a boarding house down here. She even based her own book, Whatever Happened to Margo?, on her experiences as Bournemouth landlady during the 1940s.

ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON – LIVED IN WESTBOURNE, BOURNEMOUTH

While famed for tales of adventure and suspense, some of Robert Louis Stevenson’s later life was spent down in Bournemouth. More specifically, a house called Skerryvore Garden, in the town of Westbourne. It was here that the novelist conceived his dark, thrilling novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

J.R.R. TOLKIEN – DIED IN BOURNEMOUTH

Bournemouth became something of a favourite holiday home for arguably the greatest name in epic fantasy writing, J.R.R. Tolkien. His work requires no introduction, of course. But did you know that the hotel where he spent his visits still stands to this day (The Hotel Miramar, to name it). There is a blue plaque there in his honour. His wife Edith died in 1971 and Tolkien followed her two years later, passing away in Bournemouth. Now, the town celebrates their link to the great man, with some of his greatest lines adorning the high street.

MARY SHELLEY – BURIED IN BOURNEMOUTH

Of all the great literary symbols of Bournemouth, Frankenstein creator Mary Shelley is perhaps the most ironic, as she herself never actually lived or died there. The town is, however, her final resting place. Her son, Sir Percy Florence Shelley, himself resident in nearby Boscombe, brought her remains to be buried in St. Peter’s Church in the town centre. He also had the graves of her parents exhumed and buried with her.

Did I miss any? Let me know in the comments section below. For more author news and views, my Facebook and Instagram pages are here. And drop a subscription to my YouTube channel to remain informed of the latest, plus some exclusives. Furthermore, my fortnightly podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show, is available to listen to here on Spotify.

The second meal to come out of our recent trip to Yorkshire sees us visiting Harrogate for a delicious seafood feast. All courtesy of The Drum & Monkey…

One of the top priorities of my trip to Yorkshire earlier this month was to visit Brontaè’s Bar & Restaurant in Horsforth. The other was to have an afternoon tea in the famed Betty’s Café Tea Rooms in Harrogate, the elegance of which I marvelled at when it was featured on an episode of Remarkable Places to Eat with Fred Sirieix and Nadiya Hussain. It was impossible to book, being just the one of me. And so I had to chance it. With my luck, it wasn’t a surprise to see a queue around the side of the building. Absolutely no hope of getting in quickly. Having made the journey from Leeds to Harrogate (a modest half-hour), I went off in search of an alternative. An alternative that I eventually found in The Drum & Monkey seafood restaurant.

Harrogate reminds me a lot of Brighton in its Lanes-like series of little streets and walkways. With all manner of delights on every corner, and plenty in between. It was through this otherwise aimless exploration that I found The Drum & Monkey. The dining area is quite small; seats 20 covers at most, I’d say. Perfect for the solo diner to stay out of the way.

STARTER: BOUILLABAISSE

The last time I had bouillabaisse, it was a waste of time. I was deathly ill with tonsillitis at the time, and so I barely tasted a thing. There was me thinking a hot fish stew would be just the thing to soothe a pained throat and give me a load of goodness. I was very wrong. So when I saw it on the menu of The Drum & Monkey, I couldn’t turn it down. And the second time was truly the charm.

You might be looking at that picture and thinking the bowl is quite small. I will tell you now that, while that may be the case, it was jam-packed full of fishy goodies. The stew itself was sumptuous and rich, the salt of the seafood perfectly balanced with sweet-umami tomato flavours. And I have to give a huge shout-out to the croûtons. None of your tiny, rock-hard bread nuggets here. These were two proper pieces of bread, deep-baked and (I believe, anyway) infused with garlic. A match made in Heaven if ever I tasted it.

MAIN COURSE: FILLET OF HAKE

Why not follow one rich sauce with another? I felt the fish in this dish (as is so often the case in seafood pieces) played second fiddle to its accompaniments. Which included among them braised leek, pancetta, and a Pedro Ximénez sauce. The latter, a sherry wine, is believed by some to be the sweetest wine in the world. And when combined with all those other flavours – the onion notes from the leeks and the salt from the pancetta – the end result, somewhat magically is a rich, almost brandy-caramel kind of taste.

As I say, I really feel this dominated the hake, which ended up being little more than a vehicle, albeit a very succulent one, for that sauce. Don’t mistake that as me regretting my choice. Overall, I was very pleased.

DESSERT: LAYERED CHOCOLATE BOMBE

Like my trip to Brontaè’s, I had to seriously consider whether or not I could manage a dessert. In my earlier restaurant critiquing days, I don’t think I would have thought twice. We talked ourselves around, don’t worry. And while I was a bit underwhelmed when the Layered Chocolate Bombe I ordered first arrived, in truth it was just the ticket. Neither too big nor too rich; something relatively light to draw a line under the meal.

I pictured something more like a sphere, whereas this was more of a mound, as you’ll see from the image. A very hard outer chocolatey shell, concealing some delicious cherry filling deeper down. We all know chocolate and cherry are a happy marriage, so there were no complaints coming from that combination. The pistachios adding a bit of greenery to the otherwise dark dish did pretty little else, I won’t lie. In retrospect, I wonder if the chef was aiming for a forest floor kind of presentation?

THE DRUM & MONKEY – THE FINAL VERDICT

Of my two meals out in Yorkshire this trip, The Drum & Monkey has to take second place, sadly. While all three dishes were commendable in terms of flavour and presentation, I felt there was a lot to be desired in terms of atmosphere. I also felt the service was only as attentive as it needed to be; there seemed to be no real effort to go above and beyond. All the same, if you’re in Harrogate and fancy a seafood dinner, definitely give it a go.

For more author news and views, my Facebook and Instagram pages are here. And drop a subscription to my YouTube channel to remain informed of the latest, plus some exclusives. Furthermore, my fortnightly podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show, is available to listen to here on Spotify.