Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition

Much to research this week, the most likely answers, seem to me to be:

Henry Horatio Hobson (the cobbler)

Charles Laughton (the actor)

Salford and Gloucester (cities one and two)

Henry III (the king)

Beatrix Potter (the author)

Cabbagehall (the viaduct)

Kirkcaldy (the town)

George Shillibeer (the entrepreneur)

Carlton House (the 18th century house)

Beau Brummel (the dandy)

The initial clues place us in the city of Salford (granted city status c1926), which is where the play 'Hobson's Choice' by Harold Brighouse was set. 'Hobson's Choice' is believed to have had it's first public viewings c1916. The play was turned into a film circa 1953/54 and starred the actor Charles Laughton (b1899) as Henry Hobson the cobbler.

Travelling around one hundred and ten miles south of Salford, brings us to the city of Gloucester and a king (Henry III) was crowned at the abbey there c1216 (he was also later crowned in Westminster abbey). He reigned until 1272 ie for 56 years. An author called Beatrix Potter (husband William Heelis) wrote a story called  'The Tailor of Gloucester' which from the references I looked at, was published around 1902 and featured mice.

Three hundred and ten miles north from Gloucester takes us to the Cabbagehall viaduct, just south of the town of Leslie in Fife. The references I checked claim that the viaduct has 14 spans and was constructed c1871. The brassic clue either refers to the fact that the spans are named after a brassica type vegetable (ie a cabbage) or could mean that the people who owned it were brassic lint (skint) and can only afford to eat cabbages. The viaduct is around six miles north of the town which is reputed to have the longest street fair in Europe, established c1304 in Kirkcaldy.

Some sources claim that an entrepreneur called George Shillibeer started the first omnibus service in London on the 4th July 1829. The prince regent, an upstart Hanoverian pretender, who later became George IV, lived in Carlton house (demolished c1827) and his daughter princess Charlotte of Wales, was said to have been born there c1796. The prince was friends with a dandy called Beau Brummel (born c1778) who used to hit people with quips, banter, repartee and one line put downs and on one occasion, referring to the prince regent standing beside someone, said 'who is your fat friend?'

Link to the competition:

Sunday Times Where Was I? competition