"Happenings" anybody?

[My Friend Jack]

This will seem like an odd request, but it's something that has been bugging me for more than 20 years!

When I was at primary school (in the late 1960s), I remember reading several books that were based around a family (the Cherry family?) who, in order to stop their children getting bored, would arrange what they called "Happenings." As far as I remember, these were mysteries and puzzles that the youngsters had to solve. I have absolutely no recollection of the names of any of the books or the author, but I would just like to know if anybody else remembers the books?

[Darkstar]

What sort of reading age were they for? Under tens, over tens etc. Cherry rings a bell but it might be in connection with something else.

[My Friend Jack]

I reckon I was about 9 or 10 when I read them. They were in the class library so must have been intended for that age, I suppose.

[My Friend Jack]

The power of the internet! At last, I have managed to find out what these books were and who wrote them! Will Scott was the author, and the books were, The Cherrys and the Pringles, The Cherrys and the Sea, The Cherrys and the Galleon, The Cherrys of River House, and more. They seem to have been written in the mid-1950s. Don't seem to be in print now, but it gives me something to look for on eBay apart from CDs.

Anyone else remember these books? I am so pleased that they weren't a figment of my imagination!

[Flingo]

I'm a bit young for them I'm afraid, so don't remember them MFJ.

But you might like to look at ABE books as well (www.abebooks.co.uk) as they specialise in Out of Print books.

[My Friend Jack]

Flingo - funnily enough, that was the site that I stumbled across yesterday, helping me to solve this mystery!

[Flingo]

Rescued Replies

Bill 3rd December 2006 09:44 AM

Funny how things go in circles.

http://forums.abebooks.com/n/mb/mes...sg=2163.1&ctx=0

My Friend Jack 9th December 2006 11:51 PM

Wow! Thanks for spotting that, Bill. As I said - the power of the internet!

[moonhawk333]

Hi, I've just joined this site because of this thread! I was infatuated with the Cherry Books (when 8 or 9 around 1964), though I cannot remember too much about them but vaguely remember the brilliant puzzles and mysteries also involved detective work and real involvement with real petty crime/burglaries and local police etc? I read most of them before progressing onto The Hobbit et al. I was just doing a Search for them on the Internet in order to see if any old copies lurking around anywhere and this thread came up!

moonhawk

[My Friend Jack]

Welcome along, Moonhawk! You and I must have read these books around the same time. Glad someone else remembers them as they are impossible to find, unless you are prepared to part with a small fortune for a 40+ year old copy!.

[moonhawk333]

Yes I've just looked on Abebooks, most are foreign translations, but there are a couple, English, at tempting prices! I also found another thread in a professional Book Collectors Forum and at least one person there collects the Cherry Family Books - wonder if they'll lend me a copy so I can reread one again!

[chatringer]

I've just found this group as for years I have vaguly wondered about the Cherrs 'happening's books which i read aged 9-10 in 1968-9 at primary school in Norfolk. No Enid Blyton in the class library so I made do with these! I think I enjoyed them though can't remember much about them! I tried searching on amazon but there was too much to plough through so just googled Cherrys Happenings and Bingo! Up came this site! It looks interesting so I have joined

[My Friend Jack]

That's good to hear, chatringer. I particularly like the fact that you did the same search that I did 4 years ago, and came up with BGO. Please make yourself at home on BGO, and pop into "Introduce yourself" in the Central Library section.

[wightman]

LIke some of you I have been pondering on this off and on for 40 years - that is the Cherry family and their adventures. I can remember (I think) borrowing them from the local library and reading them in one sitting. Can anyone confirm that they included local maps (like church, wood, etc) on the end sheets? I also seem to remember that the illustration of one of the boys looked like Harry Potter (round specs) - or did I imagine this?

[Flingo]

Welcome to BGO wightman - I'm sure someone with "happening" memories will be able to confirm or deny that for you.

I just wanted to note that it looks like we are rapidly becoming the "Cherry Family Fan Club" here!! MFJ - I bet you didn't realise how many new members you'd attract - I hereby award you with this month's "Top Recruiter" medal!

[My Friend Jack]

Thank you, Flingo, although I'm not sure "this month" quite works - my original post on this thread was more than 4 years ago!

Wightman - greetings, and welcome to BGO! I'm afraid I can't recall any of the details you mention, but I am glad to see that I'm not the only one who harbours fond but vague memories of the Cherry family.

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Like some of you I have been pondering on this off and on for 40 years - that is the Cherry family and their adventures.
I can remember (I think) borrowing them from the local library and reading them in one sitting.
Can anyone confirm that they included local maps (like church, wood, etc) on the end sheets?
Hi there, MFJack, Wightman and others.

I've just joined BGO and would be happy to chat over Will Scott's 'Cherrys' books with anyone here.

Each 'Cherrys' book included a Buchanan map or plan. At first these were single-page and inside the
body of the book.

http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/1stednMarketCrayMap-web1.jpg

But soon these maps/plans became double-page endpaper features.

http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Scott-Cherrys1Map-web.jpg

I also seem to remember that the illustration of one of the boys looked like Harry Potter (round specs) - or did I imagine this?

Roy, the brainy Cherry kid, is the one with specs, below.
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/TheCherrysatthestartofTCTDA-web.jpg

PROVISIONAL LIST OF CHARACTERS IN THE CHERRYS BOOKS

Captain & Mrs. Cherry
Jimmy Cherry
Jane Cherry
Roy Cherry
Pam Cherry
Mr. Watson (their monkey)
Joseph (their parrot)

Mr. & Mrs. Wilks
Sally Wilks
Mr. Wilks’s younger brother from the Isle of Wight

Mr. & Mrs. Pringle
Joe Pringle
Betty Pringle

Mrs. Pearl (un-named above) from Marigold Cottages, who cleaned River House for the Cherrys
Mr. Mount, the local Baker


'Aurélien Arkadiusz'

[My Friend Jack]

Welcome to BGO, AA, and thanks for those pictures - real memory-joggers for me! Unfortunately, I have completely forgotten any of the details of the books, apart from a scene in one where one character (Captain Cherry?) was seen by the children to be walking down the street on a summer day carrying an open umbrella over his head.

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Thanks for the welcome, MFJack.:)

Have to say that I've got far more questions than answers about Will Scott's 'Cherrys' series,:confused: so I don't immediately recall that scene you mention of Captain Cherry using an umbrella as a parasol.

Of course, artist Lilian Buchanan's illustrations contribute a great deal to the overall impact of the books, and the extraordinarily thorough way in which all her pictures, plans and maps are faithful to the text [and each other] over the entire 14-book series amounts to something rather special.

In the months ahead I'd like to upload more of her 'Cherrys' illustrations on your thread so please let me know if there are any restrictions to this.

'Aurélien Arkadiusz'

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

The 14 ‘Cherrys’ titles, all published by the Brockhampton Press, are:

1 ‘The Cherrys of River House’ (1952)
2 ‘The Cherrys and Company’ (1953)
3 ‘The Cherrys by the Sea’ (1954)
4 ‘The Cherrys and the Pringles’ (1955)
5 ‘The Cherrys and the Galleon’ (1956)
6 ‘The Cherrys and the Double Arrow’ (1957)
7 ‘The Cherrys on Indoor Island’ (1958)
8 ‘The Cherrys on Zigzag Trail’ (1959)
9 ‘The Cherrys’ Mystery Holiday’ (1960)
10 ‘The Cherrys and Silent Sam’ (1961)
11 ‘The Cherrys’ Famous Case’ (1962)
12 ‘The Cherrys to the Rescue’ (1963)
13 ‘The Cherrys in the Snow’ (1964)
14 ‘The Cherrys and the Blue Balloon’ (1965)

For me, one attraction of Will Scott's 'Cherrys' series is the careful detailing shown in top-notch illustrator Lilian Buchanan's accompanying sketches and maps - the unusually close agreement or 'meshing' between all Buchanan's pictures and maps, together with their faithfulness to journalist / cartoonist / playwright Scott's texts. One wonders if she had an author's sketchmap to guide her...

Also of note is the inclusion in the 'Market Cray' maps (above) of several details which are unlikely to have been featured in a totally invented map, based solely upon author/artist whimsy. What does this suggest?

All told, Scott's 14-book 'Cherrys' series, ably supported by Buchanan's maps and illustrations (including her colourful book-covers), add up to something rather special in the way of children's books. One proof of this (clearly seen in the postings on page 1 of this thread) is that the 'Cherrys' series lingers on in the mind decades after the books finally went out-of-print. Probably this is why they are such expensive, sought-after items on the web.

The lingering impact of Scott's Cherrys series has also led to occasional web postings at various sites, mostly from middle-aged people who read the books as children. Interestingly, there are also postings from a few younger folk who seem to have inherited and muchly enjoyed copies of some of the books. And postings from a few oldies like myself - I caught the first few titles as a kid, but was grown-up before the last title, 'The Cherrys and the Blue Balloon', was released in 1965, just after Will Scott's death.

To my knowledge, the first 12 titles were all reprinted at least once - and at least one of them up to 5 times - so while it’s a challenge to find copies at booksales it’s not impossible.

'Aurélien Arkadiusz'

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

When I was at primary school (in the late 1960s), I remember reading several books that were based around a family (the Cherry family?) who, in order to stop their children getting bored, would arrange what they called "Happenings." As far as I remember, these were mysteries and puzzles that the youngsters had to solve. Hi, I've just joined this site because of this thread! I was infatuated with the Cherry Books (when 8 or 9 around 1964), though I cannot remember too much about them but vaguely remember the brilliant puzzles and mysteries also involved detective work and real involvement with real petty crime/burglaries and local police etc?
~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~
In a distant galaxy, far, far away….well, not quite….(it was actually on another website, the EBS Forums (http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2075)),
1) ‘Lenoir’ wrote:
“They were about ‘happenings’ in the village of Market Cray. Their father, Captain Cherry, was the instigator of most of these happenings, which were games or activities that became adventures.”
2) and ‘Fiona1986’ added:
“...I seem to remember that adults were quite involved in the story?”


So, then, one huge difference between Will Scott's Cherrys series and most of the children's books from that era was *shock, horror* :( Parental involvement in the children's adventures.

How, you ask, could a father of that era - a stuffy adult by definition - possibly be capable of setting up adventures or 'Happenings' for his children and their friends? Well, folks, before I try to answer that one let me tell you the worst - Captain Cherry not only invented many wonderful games but also he (and sometimes certain of the other adults) even ;) took part in these games!

You see, Captain Cherry - his first name is never given - was a rather unusual adult. Having, it seems, spent much of his life as part of exploration and survey teams (e.g. for a mining company in the Australian outback) he drew on this experience to invent intriguing (and inexpensive) games for his four kids....games which eventually drew in their friends the Wilks (next-door neighbours at 'The Lawn') and the Pringles (friends originally from London).

Of course, he was also training them to 'keep their eyes open' so that they were aware of (tuned into) their environment more or less in the rather special way that Harvard Professor John R. Stilgoe calls for in his "OUTSIDE LIES MAGIC", but enough of that.

In Will Scott's ‘Cherrys’ books parental involvement is not only workable, it is actually something rather special.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’

[megustaleer]

I am finding this thread fascinating and intriguing.

Do you have a similar depth of interest/knowledge about any other books, AA?
What sparked this particular interest, and what carries it forward?

I ask this because I had never heard of the series, nor the Cherry family.
I guess I was just that few years too old to encounter them in primary school - or maybe I did, but they didn't make the same impression on me. :dunno:

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

I am finding this thread fascinating and intriguing. Do you have a similar depth of interest/knowledge about any other books, AA?
Glad to have inspired a live reaction, megustaleer. I'm no expert on any series of books but, as an oldster who has been reading all his life, I've got a few enthusiasms.
What sparked this particular interest, and what carries it forward? I read the earlier 'Cherrys' books as a youngster and they made quite an impact. So for me, as well as those who posted on the first webpage of this thread, the treasured memory lingers on.

I ask this because I had never heard of the series, nor the Cherry family.
I guess I was just that few years too old to encounter them in primary school - or maybe I did, but they didn't make the same impression on me. :dunno:Sorry you seem to have missed this brilliant series, megustaleer. Of course, :) if you're in your late 70's, or older, that would be understandable. At least not having [heard of / remembered about] this series has saved you some $$$$. *Exits rapidly, stage left, ducking brickbats, old boots and the kitchen sink, hurled with enough force to lead to a re-think of that 'late 70's' suggestion*

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Here is my raw listing of all the 'Cherrys' Stories and Chapters.
Chapters grouped together form one connected story or 'happening'. The Roman numerals and the capitalisation are my own eccentricities....my apologies if they annoy you. There is still a lot of work to be done on this list.

Outline of Cherrys #1 – ‘The Cherrys of River House’ (1952)

I Their First Happening
Finding their way to the ‘ruined temple’

II Through Hostile Territory
Crossing the river without being caught

III Treasure Island
Exhibition tickets buried on island

IV If Only We’re In Time
Treasure hunt to St. Denis Bay

V Nothing At All To Do
Pam is lost in the bungalow in Raven’s Wood

VI Find Me Who Can
VII He Must Be Somebody
VIII Black Jack Strikes Again
IX Clue Upon Clue
X Unmasked!
The hunt to unmask the mysterious Black Jack

Outline of Cherrys #2 – ‘The Cherrys And Company’ (1953)

I The Games They Get Up To
Black Jack Junior and the left-right game

II Man In Armour
The Big Blow

III Adventure On See-Saw Mountain
Relief expeditions in the snow

IV Disappearing Trick
Footprints in the snow

V Black Jack Junior, Pirate
Trick using ‘sandman’ and cycles

VI Kidnapped
The Pringle children have an adventure

VII Mystery Of See-Saw Mountain
Mountain-climbing

VIII The Empty House
IX Little Clue, Big Clue
X Biggest Clue Of All
Who goes there?

Outline of Cherrys #3 – ‘The Cherrys By the Sea’ (1954)

I The Message In The Bottle
II The Watch On The Coast
III On The Trail Of The Oozlum
IV Alone On A Desert Isle
V Follow My Leader
VI Look Out For Smiths
VII The Slap-Dash Carnival
VIII This Way Or That
IX Seaside Xmas
X The Haunted Sea Front

Outline of Cherrys #4 – ‘The Cherrys and the Pringles’ (1955)

I The Great Reception

II Let It Rain!

III Mr. Pringle Has A Go
IV The Crocotosh

V Early Birds

VI The Other House

VII The Torn Treasure Chart
VIII The Battle Of Bigs And Little
IX Let Them Have It
X I Know Where

Outline of Cherrys #5 – ‘The Cherrys and the Galleon’ (1956)

I The Get On With Its

II The Great Cross Over

III The Well-I-Never Place

IV The Seaside At Home

V The Peculiar Periscope

VI The Famous Think

VII The Big Idea
VIII The Big Mystery
IX The Big Work
X The Big Day


Outline of Cherrys #6 – ‘The Cherrys and the Double Arrow’ (1957)

I The Way To Anywhere
II The Double Arrow
III Adventures of Jimmy's Party
IV Adventures of Joe's Party
V Again And Again
VI Roy On His Own
VII Public Notice
VIII After Him!
IX Strange Disappearance Of Mr. Wilks
X This Way to the Bang Kwit

Outline of Cherrys #7 – ‘The Cherrys On Indoor Island’ (1958)

I The Wreck
II The Castaways
III The Cave
IV Exploring The Jungle
V Mountain Rescue
VI The Mysterious Footprint
VII Yes, It’s Pirates!
VIII A Sail! A Sail!
IX But Where Can It Be?
X Buried Treasure

Outline of Cherrys #8 – ‘The Cherrys On Zig-Zag Trail’ (1959)

I Mr Wilks Cries ‘Look!’
II Mr. Nobody
III Nothing But Mysteries
IV The Standstill Race
V The Society For Finding Things Out
VI Old sailor From Over The Water
VII Away They Go
VIII Smart Work
IX The Same Sounding Words
X The End Of The Trail

Outline of Cherrys #9 – ‘The Cherry’s Mystery Holiday’ (1960)

I Keep Your Eyes Open

II The Mystery Of Mr. Wotherspoon

III The Mystery Of The Pirate Chief
IV Spik No English

V The Great Seaweed Mystery

VI The Writing In The Sand

VII The Mystery Of The jumping Jacks
VIII The Mystery Of Neptune Island
IX Most Mysterious Of All
X It’s A Mystery!

Outline of Cherrys #10 – ‘The Cherrys And Silent Sam’ (1961)

I A Very Peculiar Affair
II He Must Be Watched
III Red Hot News
IV The Next Move
V At It Again
VI Caught!
VII What A Surprise!
VIII Then Who Is It?
IX I Know Who It Is
X Oh No, It Isn’t!

Outline of Cherrys #11 – ‘The Cherrys’ Famous Case’ (1962)

I The Day That Woke Up
II Missing!
III The Home-made Police-Force
IV Hot On The Trail
V The Footprint Again
VI The Light In The Window
VII That Third Clue
VIII Clue All The Time
IX Action!
X Portrait Of The Queen

Outline of Cherrys #12 – ‘The Cherrys To The Rescue’ (1963)

I Where Has He Got To?
II To The rescue!
III Strange Tale From A Stranger
IV Which Way Now?
V Here’s Your Jungle!
VI Escape!
VII False Trail
VIII All Meet At One-Tree Hill
IX Lost In The Fog
X Rescue!

Outline of Cherrys #13 – ‘The Cherrys In The Snow’ (1964)

I Nothing But Nothing
II Enter Mr. Misery
III The Start Of A Rumour
IV The Search From End To End
V You’d Never Guess!
VI ‘Keep Him Out Of Sight!’
VII Tell-tale Trail
VIII If Only It Works
IX Vanished!
X Away Again

Outline of Cherrys #14 – ‘The Cherrys And The Blue Balloon’ (1965)

I First Appearance Of The Blue Balloon
II What The Littles Thought
III What The Bigs Thought
IV But What Did The Man Think?
V Watched
VI Where Is Augustus?
VII The Amazing Truth
VIII The Light In The Window
IX The Night Watch
X Last Appearance Of The Blue Balloon

[MisterHobgoblin]

I have to agree with Meg. This thread has become rather fascinating, particularly in the light of AA's encyclopaedic knowledge of this series of books (I had never heard of them either) and his enthusiasm in posting about them in such detail.

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

An Encyclopedia.....ha! :) More like a fisherman hoping to con you folks into doing all the work.
Still, at least I got another response, and so #1 in Will Scott's wonderful Cherrys series.....
The dustjacket of 'The Cherrys of River House':

http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys1-coverweb.jpg

The maps -both the inside map from the first edition and the double-page endpaper map from later editions - can be found near the top of this webpage.

There are 6 Happenings in this book:

1.1 - Finding their way to the ruined temple. (Chapter I - Their First Happening)
When his elder son, Jimmy, asked how it had been possible for him to "...find a ruined temple in a village, without map or compass, and without knowing a word of the language of the local tribes..." Captain Cherry decided it would be fun to set his four children a similar task.

The Captain and Mrs. Cherry first drove them to an unfamiliar village, and let them have a brief look around. In the picture below they have just left their home at River House and can be seen driving along North Bank Road in 'Daisy', their vintage car.

http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys1-OfftotheirFirstHappeningin.jpg

From there the children were driven (with eyes closed) some distance away and set down with the challenge to find their way back to that village.

Wide awake to their surroundings, and with their eyes now very much open, they surprised and impressed the Captain by arriving back at the village only 20 minutes later. [Being chased part of the way back by a :rolleyes: 'savage' native rather speeded things up.]

[My Friend Jack]

Wow. Thank you, AA, that last post has really taken me back. Wonderful.

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Wow. Thank you, AA, that last post has really taken me back. Wonderful.
I'm happy to help refresh a few memories for those fortunate individuals who have been privileged to enjoy reading Scott's 'Cherrys' series. :D

From now on I'll likely restrict my image uploads to slightly smaller sizes. Please warn me, MFJ, if you think I'm going overboard with the number of illustrations in my posts on your thread here.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Happening 1.2 Crossing the river without being caught (Chapter II - Through Hostile Territory)

Captain Cherry’s 4 children decide to re-enact “a long-ago adventure of his in the Far East, when he had crossed a river in hostile territory by dead of night and got through a band of savage natives and clean away without being seen.” So that night their father rows them across the river to the Long Meadow on the bank opposite their home at River House, leaving them to find their own way home without being spotted in his torchlight.
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Happening002.jpg
Of course, it may :) be a co-incidence that the children’s mother “…was out at a village institute meeting…” that evening, but these days the good Captain might well be :nono: ‘had up’ for such shockingly :D cruel child abandonment and endangerment.

Did the children make it back home, without being caught by their father, before Mrs. Cherry returned? Oh, read the book and find out. [Okay, I know, first of all some of you need to find and buy a reasonably priced copy.... In an ideal world, of course, Hodder would reprint the series, making all 14 of the books readily available to us all.]

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’, member in good standing of the PMHATTRWSCS Association (The Politely Message Hodder Asking Them To Reprint Will Scott's Cherry's Series Association)

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Happening 1.3 Exhibition tickets buried on island (Chapter III - Treasure Island)
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys1Ch3web.jpg
One very hot night Jimmy – with Joseph their parrot and Mr. Watson their monkey – ‘sleeps-out’ in the tree-house he had built in the grounds of River House. Just before 2 o’clock in the morning some strange sounds awaken all three of them…..

What does this have to do with that London ‘Exhibition’ which the Cherry children are so keen to visit? That’s up to you, the reader, to find out. (Maybe a Londoner with a long memory can suggest what Exhibition that was likely to have been.)

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Happening 1.4 Treasure hunt to St. Denis Bay (Chapter IV - If Only We're In Time)
Mrs. Cherry and the 4 Cherry children set out on a motoring quest all over Kent....
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys9-MapofStDenisBayweb.jpg

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Happening 1.5 Pam is lost in the bungalow in Raven’s Wood (Chapter V - Nothing At All To Do)
Not too hard ;) to work out the plot for this happening.
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys1-5-1.jpg
Enid Blyton readers please note :cool: the sergeant's stripes on the arm of this policeman's tunic -
proves it's not P. C. Plod or P. C. Goon.
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys1-5-2.jpg

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Happening 1.6 The hunt to unmask the mysterious Black Jack (Chapters VI – X)
Challenged by a message "FIND ME WHO CAN!" signed by the mysterious "BLACK JACK" attached to a home-made arrow fired into the middle of the River House lawn, the Cherrys set out to do just that in these final five chapters. And, this time, Captain Cherry (who is away in London, apparently sitting on a government colonial advisory committee) is not the instigator.....
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys2Ch6webforBGOa.jpg
Who could Black Jack be, and what is (s)he after?
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys1Ch10web.jpg

[marian]

I've been looking for The Cherry Family books for a nine year old girl. If they're the same ones, they're about some children who have great adventures like treasure hunts. I read every one I could get from our local library and loved them. What a shame they're no longer in print.

I'm an 'auntie' who is just helping out a friend; if anyone can recommend some good books for a nine year old girl who is a good reader but frightened by what she calls 'big books', I'd be grateful.

[marian]

What sort of reading age were they for? Under tens, over tens etc. Cherry rings a bell but it might be in connection with something else.

I was just nine when I started reading them and was able to whizz through them, but I was an 'early reader' - I knew other people in my class who read them the following year (which would have been junior 3, in those days).

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

The adventures in this series are known as 'happenings', Marian.

Moderately priced jacketless second-hand copies of some titles in Will Scott's 14-book 'Cherrys' series can sometimes be purchased online. (For the dustjackets refer to the links (http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2075&start=45) I've posted on the Cherrys thread of the Other Authors board at the Enid Blyton Society Forums.) Good luck. :)

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys2-coverwebBGO.jpg
There are 8 happenings in this book, the last three chapters being combined into one adventure. (For a list of all 10 chapters, see the middle of the previous page on this thread.) One happening rambles over part of River House, the Cherrys home:
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys2-MostofRiverHouseGroundFloo.jpg
This detail of one corner of 'Market Cray' is from the 8th and last happening in the book:
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys2-MarigoldPassage.jpg
Good luck :) with finding your own copy.

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

I have far more questions than answers about Will Scott's wonderful 'Cherrys' series. Here are some of my questions, and a few of my guesses.

Where was ‘Market Cray’ Located?

I suspect that Will Scott's 'Market Cray' was probably meant to be set somewhere in the County of Kent.

The River Windrush flows into the Thames (at Newbridge) close to what was the western end of Kent. That part of the dedication in #1 ‘The Cherrys of River House' which reads "...from the beginning of Kent to the end of the Windrush,..." suggests to me that Kent had become Yorkshire-born Will Scott's stamping ground and hence was very likely also the Cherry’s home turf. While he was writing these books William Matthew Scott [1893-1964] was living at 'The old Cottage' in Herne Bay, Kent.

Interesting that there's a Crayford and a Foot's Cray in Kent, and also a Cray River.

Was Any Part of ‘Market Cray’ Real?

‘Market Cray’ could well have been a total invention, but…..
One of the fascinating things about Lilian Buchanan’s Market Cray maps is that several features are pictured which are a little unlikely to have been included in a totally invented landscape. This makes me wonder if the maps (and pictures) that we see in the books could be based upon a real landscape, with several alterations and additions (eg River House and The Lawn).

Usually, when a writer sketches a map of an imaginary landscape for a series of books, he/she puts in 'typical' features, plus features that are going to be written about in the stories. The Market Cray maps not only include several features that are never mentioned in any of the 14 'Cherrys' books, but also show one highly unusual building that surely would only have been included if it was actually drawn from real life. Worth thinking about.

Was Captain Cherry Based On A Real Person?

I keep wondering about 'Captain Cherry'.

'Cherry' is not all that common a surname, but any computer search using Cherry+Explorer will turn up the famous British explorer, Apsley Cherry-Garrard (1886-1959), and I rather think that this link would have been in the mind of any adult reading one of Scott's early 'Cherrys' books aloud to his/her children back in the 1950's. Could this be why Will Scott used the name 'Cherry'?

Also, is 'Captain' Cherry meant to hold an army or a naval rank? (A naval Captain ranked higher.) And was his Captain's rank supposed to have been won in war service, or was it, perhaps, earned over a longer period as a regular army or navy officer?

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

These are just some of the questions that only Will Scott's daughters (if they are still with us) and grandchildren could likely answer. As Mr. Scott apparently wrote the first books in this terrific series for his grandchildren (and seems to have dedicated some of the books to them), they should know things that we don't. But, short of the costly (and outrageously intrusive) strategy of hiring a private detective, how would one go about even identifying Will Scott's living descendants, let alone locating them? And would any of them be interested in sharing what they know with us?

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/Cherrys3-cover.jpg
This book is set entirely at 'St. Denis Bay' where the Cherry family and their friends are holidaying.
Although the action is broken into two time periods, it is possible to view the entire book as one 'happening'. Chapters I - VIII are a summer sequence that take place between Happenings 1.4 (Chapter IV) and 1.5 (Chapter V) of #1 'The Cherrys of River House'. Chapters IX and X take place in the winter before Chapter V of #2 'The Cherrys and Company'.
http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/StDenisBayMapforCherrys3.jpg

[paul020253]

A useful link for some info about Lilian Buchanan:

http://www.heathersblytonpages.com/blytonillustrators-a-c.html

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Hi, Paul

Welcome, and thanks for that link.

The late Lilian Buchanan was a highly professional illustrator, whose contribution to the success of the 'Cherrys' series very nearly equals that of the author, Will Scott.

We'll likely never know to what extent her Cherrys illustrations (maps, colourful dustjackets, and line-drawings) may have been based upon either real places or upon sketches by the author.

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

William Matthew Scott died in 1964.

http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/WillScott.jpg

[Cornish Maed]

Thank you AA for being such a fount of knowledge on Will Scott and the Cherries. Like so many others I found this site while searching for information on the books. I loved them as a kid, got my first one as a primary school prize in 1954, The Cherry's by the Sea. I no longer have any copies, but, reading your wonderful postings AA, I now realise how influential they were in shaping my enthusiasms - all those maps! For some time I have wanted to research Will Scott and the Cherry's, I now propose to try and find answers to some of your questions - Market Cray, here I come!

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

:festive: Welcome, Cornish Maed.

Living so far away from the UK, I have never been able to do any Cherrys research on the ground in Kent and adjacent counties. Anything you can come up with will help us build this thread.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’ :)

[scubaman]

As a child in the fifties I found myself captivated by a series of books I used to find in my local library and my own school library, the adventures of the Cherry family, as a grandfather in his sixties the memories of these books are still as strong, imagine my joy when researching the internet, to see if anything remained of what I was sure was an obscure relic of a now unfashionable middle class world, that the Cherrys were still very much alive in the minds of others who had read the books, Freud himself would probably be hard pushed for an answer as to why,maybe as Spike Milligan observed, the future is uncertain,the present is traumatic but the past is secure and safe, never mind the important thing for me is that there are more middle aged 9 year olds in the world than just myself, grow up! never! thats for old people, mind you at least I am old enough now to have the income to buy the few remaining titles I have found, would love to know why they seem to be only available in New Zealand or Australia. By the way I was also captivated by a book entitled The Helicoptor Children, if anybody can find any information on that one I would be seriously impressed.

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

:wavey: Greetings Scubaman.
As a child in the fifties I found myself captivated by a series of books I used to find in my local library and my own school library, the adventures of the Cherry family, as a grandfather in his sixties the memories of these books are still as strong, imagine my joy when researching the internet, to see if anything remained of what I was sure was an obscure relic of a now unfashionable middle class world, that the Cherrys were still very much alive in the minds of others who had read the books...
Myself, I read the first few 'Cherrys' titles whilst still a child, but was grown up well before #14 was released.
maybe as Spike Milligan observed, the future is uncertain,the present is traumatic but the past is secure and safe, never mind the important thing for me is that there are more middle aged 9 year olds in the world than just myself, grow up! never! thats for old people, mind you at least I am old enough now to have the income to buy the few remaining titles I have found, would love to know why they seem to be only available in New Zealand or Australia.As a pensioner I could never afford to buy in Will Scott's 14 'Cherrys' books these days. 'Tis certainly true that a respectable number of copies were exported out here to New Zealand, but only rarely do battered copies turn up in local booksales. My own collection I purchased new, over a 2- 3 year period, in my early twenties. Must say that if it felt a little, well odd to be buying children's books at that period of my life, I've since come to bless the impulse that caused me so to do. A tribute to the lasting impact of this wonderful series. By the way I was also captivated by a book entitled The Helicoptor Children, if anybody can find any information on that one I would be seriously impressed.Not in my collection, I'm sorry. Did you mean 'The Helicopter Children' by Denise Hill (Pied Piper Books, 1967) or the earlier book of the same title by Lucy W. Bellhouse (Harrap, 1956)?

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’ :)

[Cornish Maed]

"The Market Cray maps not only include several features that are never mentioned in any of the 14 'Cherrys' books, but also show one highly unusual building that surely would only have been included if it was actually drawn from real life. Worth thinking about."

AA, as part of your research have you visited Francis Frith's web pages - old photos of many parts of UK, plus, reminiscences of people who knew the place, usually in the '50s. As a child I thought the books were based on St Mary Cray, now part of Orpington. I used to spend school holidays in Petts Wood, which is in the same general area and has the mix of 16th century, 1930's and 1950-60's architecture common in UK market towns.

You comment on one 'highly unusual building' which I can't identify from the maps you have posted. Can you be more specific? It could help my detective work!
:scratchhe

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

"The Market Cray maps not only include several features that are never mentioned in any of the 14 'Cherrys' books, but also show one highly unusual building that surely would only have been included if it was actually drawn from real life. Worth thinking about."

AA, as part of your research have you visited Francis Frith's web pages - old photos of many parts of UK, plus, reminiscences of people who knew the place, usually in the '50s. As a child I thought the books were based on St Mary Cray, now part of Orpington. I used to spend school holidays in Petts Wood, which is in the same general area and has the mix of 16th century, 1930's and 1950-60's architecture common in UK market towns.
I'm not familiar with the webpages you mention, Cornish Maed. Of course, the whole area will be now so urbanized that walking around St. Mary Cray may be of less help than one would like. Perhaps a combination of drawing upon your memories whilst consulting 60 to 80 year-old 6" to the mile Ordnance Survey maps of the area might serve.

You comment on one 'highly unusual building' which I can't identify from the maps you have posted. Can you be more specific? It could help my detective work!
As an enthusiast for (domestic) architecture down the ages, I find that rectangular two-storied building on the north side of North Bank Road, and fronting on to Marigold Passage, rather intriguing. Not being on the High Street it is unlikely to be either a cinema or a bank. The fenestration (arrangement of the windows, best seen on the rotated map in #4 'THE CHERRYS & THE PRINGLES') clearly shows that 'tis not a house. About the only possibility I can come up with is a purpose-built little theatre.

http://i545.photobucket.com/albums/hh388/AurelArkad/MarketCrayCentralMapforCherrys4web.jpg

Would such a building be included if the map was 100% invented?

The best of fortune with your project. :clap:

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’

[Cornish Maed]

Yes, AA, I am in agreement, cinema? theatre? temporary marquee? The field trip will be in abeyance for a month or so as I am just about to start an Open Univeristy course on children's literature - books have arrived, looks stimulating. I am considering using the Cherry books as part of my dissertation - they are fairly unusual because of the adult participation, and all those maps (deep sigh) how I love maps and plans!
:)

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

Even more unusual, Cornish Maed, is the high degree of accurate meshing between all the maps and illustrations, together with their faithfulness to Will Scott's texts. This in an era when it was not at all unusual for cover and spine illustrations, maps and plans, and line-drawings within the body of a :rolleyes: 'mere' *patronising sneer* children's book to contradict each other!

And artist Lilian Buchanan maintains this consistency throughout the entire 14-book series, enabling the reader to consult the maps and illustrations in the other books in the series to check up on a point in the 'Cherrys' book that he/she is currently reading.

:arms: Good luck with your children's literature course.

Non-sneerer, 'Aurélien Arkadiusz' :wonder:

[Aurélien Arkadiusz]

At last someone has put up a Wikipedia webpage on writer Will Scott, his life and works.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_scott_writer

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’