Talk:Blandings Castle

Influences?
It has been assumed that Wodehouse has Dake-Bonoist influences, primarily due to his work The Clicking of Cuthbert --Diablorex 07:04, 3 December 2006 (UTC)


 * This assumption seems obscure. Can you give references for the assumption and explain the rationale behind the statement you've made? Shropman 23:00, 15 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Dake-Bonoism is apparently a joke religion. —Tamfang (talk) 05:41, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

Tong Castle
Until 1954, when it had to be demolished as unsafe, Tong Castle stood on a promontory about 2 miles south of Weston Park. Note that Weston is actually just over the border in Staffordshire whereas Tong is in Shropshire. I suspect that the fictional Blandings Castle is probably drawn from a number of houses that Wodehouse would have visited but I'm sure that the rather improbable appearance of Tong Castle would have stimulated his imagination greatly. Unfortunately I do not have ownership of any photographs of the castle but there are one or two books on Shropshire that contain prints. The crenellated (noble battlements?) mansion house described as a Moorish-Gothic design was built in the 18th century for George Durrant by Capability Brown with a lake (for Lord Emsworth's swim?) that still exists today. The railway line runs barely a mile away to the south.

The name Tong is thought to originate from "fork" or "tang" in old-english meaning pair of tongs and is likely to be a description of the promontory (or knoll) at the meeting point of two streams on which the castle stood that was excavated in 1970 to allow the M54 motorway to run through a cutting at junction 3. On its promontory the castle would have had fine views of The Wrekin. The village of Tong (Blandings Parva?) still exists just north of the junction and is about 3 miles east of the market town of Shifnal often said to be the inspiration for Market Blandings, it still has more than 9 public houses today. Tong church, St Bartholomews, is worth a visit to see the carvings of former occupants of Tong Castle atop their tombs. Shropman 23:00, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Car
I think the 2nd car was Antelope,not Albatross —Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.228.112.21 (talk) 03:28, 30 July 2009 (UTC)

I have a reference (Ch 17, Summer Lightning) for Antelope, and none is given for Albatross. Is this sufficient justification for deleting Albatross? Thesman123 (talk) 01:12, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

widower? (Lord Emsworth)
He's a widower, isn't he? I can't remember if or where it's specifically mentioned, but I think it would be good to make mention of it if it's the case.  TyrS  chatties  09:34, 12 February 2011 (UTC)


 * Yes, he is (which is how he comes to have a legitimate heir in Lord Bosham). It's mentioned&mdash;with a supporting quote&mdash;in the article on Emsworth himself, but it would do no harm to mention it here. Jimmy Pitt   talk  10:22, 12 February 2011 (UTC)

the infestation
Galahad, I believe, remarks more than once that "Blandings has impostors like other houses have mice." At the moment, the nearest thing to this in the article is the passing phrase "and, of course, impostors galore." When cited, should Gally's crack be inserted? —Tamfang (talk) 18:05, 1 June 2012 (UTC)

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