Where Bond was born
Lucy Fleming visits the Jamaican home of her uncle, Ian Fleming
Ramsey takes us down to the beach and shows us a small rockpool that Ian had formed for his small son to swim in safely.
‘This is where Commander made a pool for his son Jasper to swim.’
‘Caspar,’ I pipe up.
‘Yes, ma’am, for his son.’
We climb some new steps.
Later we snorkel off the tiny beach and I imagine I see Commander’s Octopussy lurking under his rock. We have a delicious traditional Caribbean meal in the gazebo. Ian used to go there to jot down ideas for plots, names, characters etc. It has been enlarged with a pretty wooden structure but there is a threat that for the future development the original gazebo will be pulled down to make way for a holiday home. This would be a terrible shame. Later I discover that during Eden’s stay a direct teleprinter link with No. 10 was set up in the gazebo.
I have one final question for Ramsey. ‘What car did Ian drive?’
‘Hillman, ma’am.’
‘Minx?’
‘Yes, ma’am’.
Disappointing.
One of the first bits of furniture that Ian had in the house was an old card-table lent by the governor’s wife. I stay for one night in the Governor General’s suite at the Royal Plantation Hotel near Ocho Rios where the staff could not have been more charming, and the food and service was excellent.
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Peter Winskill
April 18th, 2008 5:13pm"Goldeneye", Fleming's home, brings to mind a visit I made in 2001 to nearby "Firefly", Noel Coward's house. I spent an enchanting morning exploring the wonderfully maintained gardens and sloping lawns, and the tiny house - not so well maintained - but still fascinating. Two aging grand pianos back to back taking up most of the mminisicule sitting room. Noel's books and yellowing sheet music lying in a rickety bookcase. A tiny table on a back patio where a plaque on the wall tells us Noel entertained the queen mother and Princess Margaret to lunch, and never before seen (by me) verses in the inimitable style describing the occasion. No signs of a kitchen so I expect he had the servants bring it in from elsewhere. Noel's bedroom and the shower carried a pathos for me. (Is that grammatical?) All very simple and with a rickety colonial air about the place and little of the elegance which one would have expected from the Master which made it even more magical. There wasn't another soul there to supervise or follow me - in case I or the less scrupulous should decide to walk off with "momentos". Two smiling staff members at the gate offered me a visitors book to sign. What a wonderful and magical day - and memory - that was.
robin mitchinson
May 9th, 2008 5:29pmIs it not possible that Ian Fleming named the house 'Goldeneye' after the bird of the same name, a blackbird with large golden eyes, racous chatter, and a very gregarious nature? Incidentally, the opening shots in 'Dr No' were filmed at the Liguanea Club in Kingston (still extant); a wily Club Secretary, when asked which room Sean Connery occupied (none, actually) was wont to indicate whichever was vacant or hard to let!
Lawrence Dugan
May 10th, 2008 9:25pmThis article started me re-reading Ian Fleming after about twenty-five years. I bought a copy of "Thunderball" and I am almost finished the book. It is absolutely first-rate, a beautifully written adventure novel,and a strange combination of suspense, natural description (the Caribbean) and cold war espionage.