Friends
would drop the names of Mapp and Lucia when discussing the antics of some of
our more competitive associates so I thought I’d better find out more about
these affectionate rivals, especially as many of their tales are set in Rye,
where the author E.F Benson lived for many years.
A couple of
upper middle class British women vying to be top dog in a small town and
displaying extreme cultural snobbery might sound uneventful but Benson paints
the lives of Mapp and Lucia with much warmth and vulnerability. The books are
especially joyful if they remind you of people that you know! Any game players
out there?
"Mallards",
the home of Miss Mapp—and subsequently Lucia—was based on Lamb House
in Rye. The house had previously been lived in by Henry James.
The E.F
Benson Society organizes regular guided walks around Rye so if you are staying
nearby at BeachHaven, why not enjoy a cultural trip
ending at Lamb House.
Having fallen for these
fabulous characters, we have recently discovered, to our excitement, that Miranda Richardson and Anna Chancellor are teaming up to play the social rivals Miss
Elizabeth Mapp and Mrs Emmeline 'Lucia' Lucas in a new BBC adaptation which
will be filming in Rye this Summer.
Lobster à la
Riseholme anyone?
