From Michael Palin to Twiggy, the picturesque north Suffolk seaside town of Southwold has no shortage of associations with celebrities. And now a local historian has told how it has been the haunt for a fantastic array of history's greatest artists, painters and writers.
From Michael Palin to Twiggy, the picturesque north Suffolk seaside town of Southwold has no shortage of associations with celebrities.
But now one local historian has revealed it is not only the great and good of the 20th century who while away their hours in Southwold, but that it was also the haunt for a fantastic array of history's greatest artists, painters and writers.
In his book, Southwold: An Earthly Paradise, Geoffrey Munn, who is best known as the jewellery expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, paints a picture of the town's history, connecting well-known artists and figures with the town's iconic landmarks.
The greatest discovery, and one that has already prompted much debate in the literary world, is the strong possibility that William Shakespeare travelled through Southwold Harbour more than once on his way to Dunwich with a company of players during the 1600s.
Trawling the archives of museums and libraries, Mr Munn also uncovered a wealth of untold stories, including the inspiration for the illustration of the Winnie the Pooh character Eeyore and the tale behind William Morris's An Earthly Paradise, which he uses as the title of his book.
Speaking at one of the first signings of the book on Southwold Pier yesterday, Mr Munn could hardly contain his excitement at finally unveiling the treasures five years of research had unearthed.
“Writing this book has been hugely exhilarating,” he said. “It is like being an archaeologist - just without a trowel - some of the things you turn up. It has been a personal voyage of discovery for me.
“But the book is by no means a full history of the town. It is a series of essays exploring certain aspects of the town.
“People see genteel reserved Southwold as it is now, but it did have a very dramatic past. It is a town that has seen battles, fires, the plague, witches and an ongoing struggle against the elements which still exists today.”
But it is the stories of particular people that have really captured Mr Munn's imagination.
“There are really some tremendous people who came here,” he said. “Obviously Shakespeare, but as well I was delighted to find the greatest British artist JMW Turner had been to Southwold and sketched here.
“Also EH Shepard, who illustrated AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh books came here in 1901, got lost riding his bike and saw a donkey tethered in a field.
“And it is this donkey that later went on to be the inspiration for Eeyore,” he said.
“Walter de la Mare and Algernon Swinburne, both came here for love. For De La Mare it was his girlfriend that was the attraction and not the seaside.
“But possibly the greatest love story of Southwold is that of Janey Morris and Dante Gabriel Rossetti - it was one of the great pre-Raphaelite love affairs.
“Janey was married to William Morris, but was having an affair with Rossetti. The Morrises were on the beach with their children and, through a friend, Janey was receiving love letters from Rossetti. Like all cuckolds, William knew this was going on and it inspired him to write his rather sad opening stanzas of An Earthly Paradise actually on Southwold beach.
“This story is something quite unique to this book, and came after I researched one sentence I had found in a biography of Morris.
“This is part of why I have used it in the title, but it is also because all the plaques along the pier are to do with special love affairs and holidays. People remember Southwold in a nostalgic way and for the people who come here it really is an earthly paradise.”
Southwold: An Earthly Paradise is now available from all good bookshops or can be mail ordered by sending a cheque for £29.50 payable to the Antiques Collectors' Club, to Antiques Collectors' Club, Sandy Lane, Old Martlesham, Suffolk, IP12 4SD.
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