Ertach Kernow - Cornish heritage shared on German television
Cornish heritage shared on German television with Cornwall it appears an obsession with Germans, much of which is down to what has become known as the ‘Rosamunde Pilcher effect’. That there is this overseas interest in Cornwall is good for the Cornish economy and also our heritage sites. Much has been made of the ‘Poldark effect’ bringing visitors from the USA. The greater tourist impact has however been through the decades long series of television films screened in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
My own experience of visitors from Europe and beyond is that they have far greater interest in Cornish history and heritage and places of interest than the average English tourist. When visiting our small Newquay Museum I speak to many overseas visitors to Cornwall about what they enjoy and many say that it is because we differ from England. It is so important that Cornwall capitalises on this cultural advantage. Looking at the statistics for the www.cornwallheritage.com website, where these articles are also shared, some sixteen percent of viewers are from Germany followed by the USA with eight percent.
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For those who might be asking who Rosamunde Pilcher is a here’s a very quick biography. Rosamunde E.M.L. Scott was the daughter of Charles Scott and his wife Helen Harvey and born in Lelant in 1924. The family resided at a property called Green Loaning in Lelant and were certainly living there until before World War II. Rosamunde married Graham Pilcher. The family connection with Cornwall was maintained through Rosamunde’s father who continued to live at Lelant at Maydene until his death in 1959. Rosamund and Graham moved to Dundee in Scotland, where she died aged 94 in 2019. She became a prolific author writing firstly under the pseudonym Jane Fraser from 1949 and then under her own name in 1955. Fame came in 1987 with her most famous novel ‘The Shell Seekers’ with sales of her overall works exceeding 60 million copies. Her gift to Cornwall was through her writing, these having been serialised for German television and encouraged hundreds of thousands to visit Cornwall over the decades. She was awarded an OBE in 2002 for services to literature and the same year the British Tourism Award. Her legacy to Cornwall continues through countless Cornish locations being shared overseas by approaching two hundred adaptions of her stories.
‘The Shell Seekers’ written in 1987 which brought her to increased public notice has sold over five million copies. It was also within the top 200 books nominated by the British public in the BBC ‘Big Read’ survey in 2003 coming in at number fifty. Filmed in 1989 and broadcast under the ‘Hallmark Hall of Fame’ franchise it starred Angela Lansdown in the leading role. The key Cornish locations used included Lamorna Cove, Padstow, Port Isaac, St Michael’s Mount and Prideaux Place. However, it is the German television series which has had the greatest impact on Cornwall’s tourist industry with Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) creating a franchise around the books and short stories. The Shell Seekers was readapted and filmed by ZDF in 2006 and starred Vanessa Redgrave in the main role. In 1990 Terry Wogan interviewed Rosamunde Pilcher and in it she said, ‘I'm an overnight success who only took forty-five years to make it’. It’s a charming piece and can be seen via this link.
Rosamunde Pilcher on Wogan 1990.
The first ZDF episode of what is now 174 was released in 1993 with the title translating to ‘Stormy Encounter’. Cornish places used in this episode included St Ives, Mevagissey, Land’s End and Trelissick House. The German television guide ‘TV Spielfilm’ gave its verdict as ‘Trivial love and family banter’, sounds like easy viewing. ‘Filmdienst’ a German Catholic publication was somewhat scathing describing it as an ‘extremely boring melodrama’. Based on the huge success of the series what did they know?
Click Rosamunde Pilcher image for video clip
Fortunately, not every episode was filmed in Cornwall, that might have been rather overdoing it. Other episodes were filmed in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and other places throughout Europe. There were certainly enough episodes which included Cornish scenes to whet the appetite for German tourists to visit and explore Cornwall.
The double episode entitled ‘Coming Home’ was filmed in Cornwall and included well-known British actors Joanna Lumley and Keira Knightly and Irish actor Peter O’Toole in starring roles. This was filmed in English and released here in the UK in February 1998 and later with voiceover translation in Germany in April. A wide range of Cornish location were used in these two episodes including Godrevy, Lamorna , Lelant , Marazion , Penzance, Porthgwarra, Prideaux Place and St Michael's Mount. It seems that the storylines were getting somewhat saucier with skinny dips in the sea, gentle, constant seduction and a passionate night of love to spice things up. I’m sure it was all in the best possible taste.
‘Coming Home’ must have proved popular because the storyline continued in another double episode entitled ‘The Great Legacy’ Once again Joanna Lumley stars and is joined by other well-known British actors Susan Hampshire and Robert Hardy. This was first screened in the UK on ITV in April 1999 and on German television the following month.
One favourite venues for filming episodes is Prideaux Place in Padstow which has been used on eight occasions besides the original 1989 ‘The Shell Seekers’. These include; Four Seasons (2008), End of Summer (1995), Winds Across the Sea (2007) and Coming Home/Homecoming (1998). Prideaux Place is a wonderful Elizabethan Manor set in extensive grounds. It is one of those houses well worth visiting if travelling to Padstow. It has been the home of the Prideaux-Brune family for some 400 years and hosted the Gorsedh Kernow bardic ceremony in 2023.
St Michael’s Mount featured in that original 1989 film and is a staple of Cornish places to visit and no doubt very popular with German tourist. It too has a long family history the St Aubyn family living here for over 350 years. As a tidal island with a long history stretching back over 1,000 years to the first building as a monastery it offers a romantic setting for Pilcher related filming.
Another historic house and gardens is Pencarrow House which has been used in filming by ZDF includes episodes ‘English Wine’ (2011), ‘The Red Dress’ (1998) and ‘The Weekend’. They found that Pencarrow was very versatile for film settings. Once again this is a house with a long family tradition stretching back to the 16th century. The gardens were adapted to form a vineyard setting for ‘English Wine’ and the ground floor on other episodes.
‘Strawberries in Spring’ was based on one of Rosamunde Pilchers short stories ‘A Way of Life’ and premiered on ZDF in November 2016. This was filmed in Cornwall and incidentally strawberries are seen as a symbol of love and romance. There’s a wonderful short video where the late great Brenda Wootton and Ben Luxon sing a song called ‘Delyow Sevi’ with Brenda explaining the story behind the romantic use of strawberries. It can be seen on the Ertach Kernow YouTube channel via this link.
Brenda Wootton and Ben Luxon - ‘Delyow Sevi’
Lamorna Cove first used in that early 1989 Rosamund Pilcher adaption is not only beautiful but has an interesting historical record. In the 1380’s due to a dispute this was the first mention about tin streaming. In the 19th century it became well-known and popular with the Newlyn School of artists. It became the location for the Lamorna Pottery from 1947, home to one of many scores of Cornish potteries throughout Cornwall and very popular.
Just to throw in my own personal occasional arrival at filming locations over the years, these have included Little Fistral at Newquay and Fowey. A visiting cousin from the USA was with me at Little Fistral and decided to buy a Kelly’s ice cream from the nearby van. To a Cornish person it was obviously a vintage vehicle and likely a prop for the filming. It gave us all a laugh when she returned empty handed.
There are just so many locations used throughout Cornwall for filming these ZDF episodes ranging from beaches, town centres, historic houses and beautiful locations used as backdrops. Cornwall’s historic and environmental heritage is something to cherish and value as part of our tourist industry. We have wonderful sights of places such as Land’s End, Bedruthan Steps and Wheal Coates with their spectacular clifftop views shared across the world. Cornwall needs to encourage and grow quality international tourism. There is a fast-growing film and media culture in Cornwall with over 270 businesses earning over £5 million a year. This helps assist diversification of Cornwall’s economy away from that of mass tourism.
We must remember and thank Rosamunde Pilcher whose literary legacy has helped share and encourage interest in Cornwall’s heritage across a good part of Europe. Meur ras Rosamunde.
Heritage Column
