Around The VillageLiterary
Community Misses the Boat on Taxi?
The news that the austere Miss Ellen Hall, former owner of Stoney Grove, led a secret
life as the famed romance novelist Helena O’Rall has sent the Puckering literati into
a flutter. Miss Hall, who passed away in 1973, is best remembered for her sensible tweeds
and matter-of-fact manner, a demeanor that contrasts starkly with the flamboyant persona
of the prolific O’Rall.
In a recent appearance at the summer meeting of the South Downs Literary Guild, noted
critic Eugenia Dowley could barely contain her excitement. "Once recognised, of
course, one can see her voice in the nuanced cadence, the hidden undercurrents, the rich
prose of "Robins, Sparrows and Barn Owls, A guide to West Sussex Walks," she
argues. "I can’t believe we’ve missed it for so long. It just goes to show
that critics have typecast female authors, overlooking the complexity of the writing
process and the mercurial nature of the muse."
Others were more cautious in their acceptance of the news. "Mr. Churchill claims
that his mother, Miss Hall, wrote the novels," concedes Katherine Crowder-Switts,
librarian at the Upper Puckering Community Library, "but, well, we all know that Mr.
Churchill sometimes shoots a bit wide of the mark." She continues to favour the
theory that a former village vicar penned the bawdy prose.
Local author and sports writer Lumpy Gaites has also been caught off-guard by the news.
"I must say I would never have believed that she could produce something as wonderful
as ‘Taxi,’" he admits, "I can scarcely believe it!" Gaites, not
generally known as a great lover of bird-watching books, is the author of a series of
romance novels himself.
The inclusion of local eccentric Frank Churchill on the board of The
Stoney Grove Trust raised a few eyebrows around the village until it was revealed that Mr.
Churchill is in fact the son of former owner Ellen Hall. With the filming of ‘Last
Taxi’ about to take place at Stoney Grove, he is rumoured to have earned hundreds of
thousands of pounds in royalties. Although the exact figures have not been revealed, it is
clear that he could trade in the life of the hermit for something a bit more comfortable.
For the present, however, he prefers to keep things simple, and has chosen to remain on
the estate. "I like my life at Stoney Grove," says Churchill. "All my
friends are there. I’ve no plans at present to move."
Progress in the restoration of the Upper Puckering Parish Church took another giant
step forward as an anonymous donor agreed to underwrite the repair of the stained glass
rosette damaged in an intense wind storm just over a year ago. "It will be good to
have St. Thomas back with us intact," said Nigel Banks upon hearing the news.
"We count on our saints to have a heart." (see Church Struck, An ‘Act of
God’, 24/7/99).
