Exploring Lyme Regis in Words

By choosing to holiday in one of the wonderful holiday cottages in the Lyme Regis area, you will be following in the footsteps of many great writers who have stayed there before you. They have all been inspired by the beautiful coastline this area offers, and reading the words that they have written will make your visit even more memorable.

Classical Writers

Henry Fielding visited Lyme Regis in 1725, shortly after he finished his education at Eton. His cousin, Sara Andrews, lived in the town and at the age of fifteen she had just inherited the wealth of her father. Field embarked on a pursuit of his cousin but was rejected by her; after a drunken brawl with her guardian, Andrew Tucker, whose son John was also a suitor of Sara's, he left Lyme Regis. Before he left he posted a public notice in the library that said:

This is to give notice to the World that Andrew Tucker and his Son John Tucker are Clowns, and Cowards. Witness my hand
Henry Fielding

This, however, wasn't the end of his connection with the town, as when he wrote his comic novel Tom Jones he based the heroine Sophia Weston on his lost love Sara.

Another frequent visitor to Lyme Regis was Jane Austen, who first visited the town when she was 29. She stayed in one of the holiday cottages on the seafront and it was here that she wrote her novel Persuasion, part of which is set in the town. Jane loved her time there and wrote about the things that she had done in letters to her sister Cassandra. She enjoyed many of the activities that can still be enjoyed by anyone staying in today's holiday cottages in the area, such as walking on the Cobb and bathing in the sea, although her experience was from a bathing machine. Lyme Regis Museum has many items on display that commemorate her visit. Another notable literary visitor was Beatrix Potter who based many of illustrations for Little Pig Robinson on views of Lyme Regis.

Contemporary Writers

More recently, another writer who featured the Cobb in his novel was John Fowles, who set his 1969 novel The French Lieutenant's Woman in the town. Although written in the twentieth century, the novel tells the story of the tragic 19th century heroine, Sarah Woodruff. In the 1980 film adaptation the iconic image of Meryl Streep as Sarah Woodruff standing at the end of the Cobb is one of film's great moments. The adaptation was filmed in the town and many of the locals took part as extras. Fowles was a fan of another great Dorset writer, Thomas Hardy, and Sarah Woodruff was inspired by Hardy's character Tess.

Another contemporary author who has written about the history of Lyme Regis is Tracy Chevalier. In her wonderful novel Remarkable Creatures she recounts the story of the great 19th century fossil-hunter, Mary Anning. It is a fascinating story, and walking along the beaches near your holiday cottages will be all the more enjoyable if you have read it.

Reading any of these novels before you visit Lyme Regis will make the town seem like an old friend. Lyme Regis has inspired some wonderful stories and book lovers will have them resounding in their ears as they explore the town and its lovely beaches.