Category: travel

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By the Sea

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Sunset on Brighton Pier
Carnival, Brighton Pier

There have been many photos taken since the last blog post. A fellow Vivien Leigh fan, Zsazsa R., came to visit from Hungary and we went to all sorts of fun Viv and Larry-related places. More on that in the next post!

For the past few days, England has been experiencing an Indian Summer. With temperatures in the 80s for the first time since April, everyone including me has been outdoors soaking in the vitamin D. On Friday I spent the day in one of London’s largest and most beautiful Royal parks–Richmond! It was so nice to walk along the paths and see the giant deer laying in the grass and swans in the lake. Saturday, my friends Riikka, Katie, Sergio and I decided to get out of the city and spend the day at the beach. It turned out that all of London had the same brilliant idea because although we got to London Bridge bright and early, the train was so crowded we had to stand for the entire journey.

Due to the overwhelming amount of people flooding the sidewalks in Brighton, we took the train to another coastal town called Seaford, near Lewes. Seaford is a former port town that is now used as a seaside resort. The beaches are rocky and the sea, of course, is actually the English Channel, so there aren’t really waves. But the water is nice and blue-green. The nearby countryside is the location of the Seven Sisters–seven chalk cliffs similar to the White Cliffs of Dover. It also served as a filming location for the end scene in Joe Wright’s Atonement with James McAvoy and Kiera Knightley, which Sergio and I attempted to re-enact.

After a jaunt up the cliffs for some photos, we headed back to Brighton to catch a spectacular sunset on the pier. Brighton is a beautiful and lively city, and Laurence Olivier was a significant figure here in his post-Vivien Leigh life. After marrying Joan Plowright in 1961, Larry left London and settled in Brighton to raise a family. The new Oliviers lived in 4 Royal Crescent, two houses Larry had knocked together to make a bigger home. He continued to spend much of his time up in London (he often travelled on the Brighton Belle train) but many an older person living in Brighton still has fond memories of seeing him with his kids at the playground by the beach (no longer there, sadly). Apparently he was a regular at some of the pubs and restaurants on the waterfront, as well. In 1970, he was made a Life Peer and became Baron Olivier of Brighton.

Whenever I go to Sussex, I am immediately reminded of two brilliant novels: Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (I always throught Brighton Rock was rock candy in the American sense, but it’s actually just a giant candy cane) and Watership Down by Richard Adams. If you’re ever looking for a great read, I’d recommend either of these books. They both capture fascinating, albeit completely different, aspects of southern England.

From Topsham to Tara

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From Topsham to Tara

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I know I said no new blog posts until I’ve handed in my dissertation. I lied. In desperate need of a break and a respite from writer’s block, my friend Sammi and I decided to hop a train to Devon to visit the fabled Topsham Museum. I say “fabled” because I’ve yet to meet any other Vivien Leigh fans who have been there. Well, it turns out we weren’t special after all because, as curator Rachel Nichols informed us, fans from all over the world visit the quaint hamlet near Exeter just to see the Vivien Leigh memorabilia on display in their museum. This includes her daughter Suzanne Farrington, who visits a few times a year. What’s the connection? Topsham is a  picturesque port village on the River Exe with roots that date back to Roman times. The Holmans, whom Vivien Leigh married in to in 1932, were thriving ship builders here in the mid-19th century. Leigh Holman’s sister Dorothy lived in a massive house at 25 The Strand, and Suzanne used to spend holidays here. There are stories of Vivien coming to visit Dorothy on occasion in the 1940s and 50s (no word whether or not Larry Olivier ever tagged along). Members of the local youth club, which Dorothy founded in 1939, remember Vivien stopping by to play table tennis and offer practical advice about acting. In the 1960s, Dorothy decided to turn her home into a museum about local culture and history. Hearing about her aunt’s plans, Suzanne donated several items of her mother’s to be put on display. Suzanne and/or Dorothy have also donated Vivien’s belongings to a few other museums in Exeter. The prized piece in the Topsham collection is the silk nightgown Vivien Leigh wore as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. After filming wrapped, Vivien was allowed to keep two costumes from the wardrobe department. This was one of the pieces she chose. Rachel told us that she discovered the nightgown in the bottom of a chest at the back of the museum and that it still held traces of Vivien’s perfume. This dress is switched out for a replica every few months, which is the version we saw on our visit. Other items in the exhibit include the gown Vivien wore to the London premier of Richard III in 1955 (this was my personal favorite, it’s so beautiful), a chair from the St. James Theatre, a tan day-suit, Letters from Vivien to Dorothy, including an invitation to Suzanne’s wedding to Robin Farrington and a calling card for Lowndes Cottage, a veiled hat and fur muff, a scent bottle, a cashmere stole from India and a silk square Vivien used to cover her dirty clothes at the end of the day–a habit she picked up at the convent school in Roehampton as a child. It was a real treat to get to see these things up close and in person, and the staff at the museum could not have been more friendly. If you’re ever in the Westcountry or just feel like venturing out to see this museum, I’d definitely recommend it. The town itself is beautiful and the museum adds a nice extra touch. I’m so glad fans travel all the way there just for Vivien. It’s certainly a testament to her lasting power! Photos open in lightbox.

All photos © Kendra Bean with special thanks to the Topsham Museum. The Topsham Museum 25 The Strand Topsham EX3 0AX

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Home to Tara: Culver Studios

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Culver Studios, formerly Selznick International

Last week my friend Jay and I made a pilgrimage of sorts down to Culver City to see a famous mansion that stands on the corner of Washington and Ince. Culver Studios, as is it known today, is the former home of Desilu, RKO, DeMille, Ince and Selznick International. The mansion’s famous facade can be seen at the beginning of many illustrious films of the 1930s and 40s, including a Civil War epic loved by many.

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Destination: Hollywood

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Vivien Leigh on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

After spending the past nine months in England, I decided I needed to go home–at least temporarily. I’ve been spending the past few weeks in California doing dissertation research, writing, visiting friends and of course, taking photos. I’m currently splitting my couch-surfing time between my friend Mark and his friend Jay, author of the amazing book Edith Head: The Fifty-Year Career of Hollywoods Greatest Costume Designer in Los Angeles. The dissertation is coming along and it’s been wonderful soaking up the sun. I’ve really missed California weather.

Last week I went up to Hollywood to meet with Vivien Leigh fan and awesome person Jeremy Kinser. We had drinks at the Roosevelt (thanks, Jeremy!) and then I went around and snapped some photos. I won’t lie, I kind of secretly love being a tourist!

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Tickerage Mill Revisited

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Country lane, Sussex

“My wife and I happened to be in England during the month before Vivien died and we visited her at her country house, Tickerage Mill, near the village of Black Boys, Sussex. This is one of the most beautiful small estates in the country and is approached down a winding lane, the last turn of which reveals the compact, weathered brick house and the high wall which encloses the rose garden. It is not until one has passed through the house, and admired its old oak beams and lovely period furniture, that one steps out on the terrace and sees the lake; weeping willows overhand its banks, with here and there clumps of graceful reeds. It was one of those rare and magical days that Englishmen everywhere dream about, radiant, warm and tranquil. An old boat lay moored to a post and a family of moorhens moved across the water, slowly and in single file. Beyond the lake rose a small, soft Sussex down, crowned with a copse of trees. Rooks cawed in the elms. It was a traditional scene, so often described by Victorian novels and poets, yet still so moving in its beauty.” — Brian Aherne

Last Sunday, I went to Tickerage again. This time I joined my lovely friend Shiroma and her daughter Christina on a walk through the Sussex countryside. The weather has been so horrible this month, but we had sun and really high temperatures on Sunday and Monday, rather like Brian Aherne described above. I took the train down from London, and we got stranded at Hever because of a signal failure or something. The conductor allowed us to get off the train for some fresh air, so I did, started chatting with a guy who had been waiting at the station since the previous train came in an hour earlier, and then had to run when the train started leaving without me! Luckily, the conductor saw me and let me back in.

I finally made it to Uckfield, where Shiroma and her family picked me up in the car and we drove out to the Blackboys Inn for lunch and a nice, refreshing Crabbie’s ginger beer (can you tell I’m obsessed?). Apparently ownership of the Inn had changed quite recently, so the current owners could tell us nothing about the days when Vivien Leigh used to frequent the pub for an infamous pink gin. After lunch, we drove to Tickerage Lane, and Shiroma, Christina and I got out and walked. We didn’t have any luck meeting our friend from last time out mowing his lawn, so we snapped a few photos from the drive and continued our hike through the Sussex countryside en route to Buxton, the stop on the line before Uckfield.

I love Sussex so much. The scenery is so tranquil and lovely old houses sit in secluded glens surrounded by trees and pastures, well manicured lawns and winding country lanes. Every house we passed had a name: Beggar’s Barn, Gables, Scantling’s Inn. There is such a contrast between the slow life in the country and the fast pace of London. No wonder people like to have a place to get away for a while.

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