Sunday Times Where Was I? Holiday Competition

Near as I can figure it, through the possibly flawed perceptual filters of my own reality tunnel, the most likely answers this week, seem to me to be:

Q1. S ?  ?

Q2. Mistletoe


N.B. No idea what the name of the hamlet is, if the answer to question two is indeed mistletoe, then it starts with an 'S', and may have the word snow in the title, as the clue is 'deep and crisp and even'. Only found one village like this and it's called 'Snowden Hill', near Barnsley but can't find any references confirming that a seventies sitcom was filmed fifteen miles west of there and travelling North East from Felpham in clue three, would take us to Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk. Some of the puzzlers in the comments section are saying 'Snow Street, Royston, Diss' and have posted a link to it being described as a hamlet, so they could well have come up with the correct answer for question one.

Very tricky indeed this week. The initial clue of 'Festive Lady', suggests 'A Christmas Carol', by Charles Dickens, which appears to have been published c 1843. The downtrodden clerk in the book, 'Bob Cratchit', lived in Camd(e)n (T)own.

Clue two gives us 'The Angel of the Nor(t)h', which from the sources I checked was constructed c 1998 and does seem to have wingspan of one hundred and seventeen feet and is sixty six feet high.

A poet born in 1757, who penned a work called Jerusale(m), possibly while residing in the village of Felpham, on the south coast, is probably William Blake. The poem was used as the lyric of a hymn by the same name, which was composed by Charles Hubert Parry c 1916. The verse was also used in the preface to another of Blake's works, 'Milton'.

Clue four has a dearth of information to facilitate its quick solution. 'Don't Panic!', suggests 'Dad's Army', which was shot mostly in Norfolk (SATNA battle area), near Thetford and also Suffolk, London and Brighton. 'Don't Panic', without the '!', was also used in the BBC comedy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy', but this wasn't broadcast until c 1981. The name of the hamlet probably starts with the letter 'S' and the 'Deep and crisp and even' clue suggests the word snow. I found one village called 'Snowden Hill', starts with S, has a seasonal theme, consists of two words and lies near Barnsley. Fifteen miles west of that hamlet, would be in or near the boundary of the Peak District national park. Might be called Saint something or other.


Clue five brings us to the village of 'Rob(i)n Hood's Bay' (merry men clue), which lies five miles or so, South East of Whitby, the 'fangs for the memory' clue, probably referring to the site of count Dracula's landfall, in Bram Stoker's version of the story.

Clue six is most likely referring to the great fire of London, which started in '(P)udding Lane', c 2nd September, 1666.

Clue seven appears to concern the artist 'George Romney' ( born c 1734). Romney titled his painting of Lady Emma Hamilton, 'The Ambassadress' and for a time, lived at number 5 'H(o)lly Bush Hill', Hampstead, London (the prickly sounding capital suburb street).

Clue eight : 'Brief Encounter', suggests the playwrite 'No(e)l Coward', who was, according to some of his biographies, born c 1899, at Helmsdale, 5 Waldegrave Road, Teddington. His play, 'The Vortex' included a character called 'Nicky Lancaster'.

Assembling the answers and rearranging the known letters and the letter guessed for answer four gives:

1. Camd(e)n (T)own.         E T
2. Angel of the Nor(t)h.         T
3. Jerusale(m).                        M
4. S?                                        S
5. Rob(I)n Hood's Bay.            I
6. Pudding (L)ane.                   L
7. H(o)lly Bush Hill.                O
8. No(e)l Coward.                    E


MISTLETOE

N.B. Due to the number of people who normally write poison pen letters in green ink posting on his page, the Eastender has moved to moderated comments but if you have a non abusive comment relating to the puzzle and its solution, he will endeavour to publish it.