It is no secret that I am a bit of a PG Wodehouse fan. I bought one of his books at a church jumble sale when I was quite young and was soon drawn into the world of - for me at least - his best creation, Bertie Wooster. Bertie! The epitome of a well-meaning but hopelessly inept young man, forever entangled in matrimonial mishaps and impractical bets.
One of my great regrets is not going on one of the walking tours in and around Mayfair conducted by the late N T P Murphy. Murphy’s tours were not the sort where someone waves a clipboard and shows photos on an iPad. No, these were delightful strolls through the streets of Mayfair and Piccadilly, where Murphy would cheerfully point out locations that inspired Wodehouse’s fictional universe. The joy of these walks was to show how Wodehouse treated London, not merely as geography but as a stage set for comic mishaps.
Participants would find themselves outside a dignified club while Murphy explained that establishments like these gave birth to the famous 'Drones Club.' The Drones, of course, is where Bertie and his friends spent their time inventing impractical bets and accidentally becoming engaged.
The next best thing to Murphy’s tours is following various locations in his book ‘Wodehouse Walks.’ Instead of merely walking, I opted for my trusty Brompton. I’ll only mention two locations (where he lived in Mayfair and where he went to school in Dulwich), but these are merely starting points for my future explorations.
The charm of these locations lies in the recognition that Wodehouse’s London is both real and not quite real. Yes, Mayfair exists. Yes, Dulwich College exists. But somewhere between those points (probably just off Piccadilly) lurks the invisible city where Jeeves glides silently through drawing rooms and Bertie worries about yet another matrimonial disaster.
Wodehouse lived in a Mayfair house at 7 Dunraven Street from 1927 to 1934, during one of the most productive and successful periods of his career. The street was formerly called Norfolk Street during Wodehouse’s time there, and he shared the building with his wife Ethel and stepdaughter Leonora. Several Jeeves stories were penned while he resided here, including works later collected in ‘Very Good, Jeeves.’ The blue plaque installed by English Heritage in 1988 was unveiled by the Queen Mother, a noted Wodehouse admirer.
He attended Dulwich College in south London, a school whose Gothic architecture looks as though it were built to produce prefects who say things like “Dash it all.” (Some did). Walking through its grounds today, one half expects a young Wodehouse to emerge from behind a cloister, cricket bat in hand and a notebook filled with jokes about aunts.
He frequently remarked that his years at Dulwich were among the happiest of his life. In later interviews, he described the school as 'a paradise' compared to the earlier preparatory schools he had attended. The atmosphere suited him perfectly: plenty of sport, a relaxed social culture, and comparatively little oppressive discipline.
Once the weather gets better, I do plan to pay a visit to many more locations linked to Wodehouse. I have already planned out some routes and look forward to completing them, so watch this space!!
Until next time, stay safe out there people!
