''The Grange at High Force'' is a children's novel by Philip Turner, published by Oxford in 1965 with illustrations by

William Papas William "Bill" Papas (15 July 1927 – 19 June 2000) was a political cartoonist and caricaturist, book author and illustrator, and watercolourist. In the 1960s and 1970s he worked for ''The Guardian'', ''The Sunday Times'' and ''Punch''. His wor ...

. It was the second book published in the author's Darnley Mills series. Turner won the annual Carnegie Medal, recognising the year's best children's book by a

British subject The term "British subject" has several different meanings depending on the time period. Before 1949, it referred to almost all subjects of the British Empire (including the United Kingdom, Dominions, and colonies, but excluding protectorates ...

. The Grange is a former farming estate above Darnley Mills, a fictional mill town in

North East England North East England is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. The region has three current administrative levels below the region level in the region; combined authority, unitary authorit ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

, between the

moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...

and the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

. It features both comic and dramatic episodes in a contemporary setting with strong links to the past."Philip Turner: The 'Darnley Mills' Stories"
Jim Mackenzie. Last update 7 November 2010. In the US it was published by World Publishing Company (Cleveland, Ohio) in 1967 with illustrations by W. T. Mars.

Plot introduction

The story begins about a year after the end of ''Colonel Sheperton's Clock'', the first in the series. The three boys who are the main characters are firm friends, despite their different characters and interests. David, the former lame dreamer, is now entirely recovered from the operation on his leg, and participates fully in the physically active pursuits of his friends. They all attend King Charles II Grammar School. David and Peter are

choirboy A choirboy is a boy member of a choir, also known as a treble. As a derisive slang term, it refers to a do-gooder or someone who is morally upright, in the same sense that " Boy Scout" (also derisively) refers to someone who is considered honor ...

s, but Arthur is temporarily out of the choir as his voice has broken. Much of the story takes place on the moors above the fictional town of Darnley Mills, over the course of a year, from one spring to the next, covering the period of the Admiral's tenancy at Folly Grange. The focus is particularly on the joint activities of the three boys and the men at the Grange. As in the first book, there is also an historically-based mystery to be solved.

Plot summary

The novel opens in All Saints' church in Darnley Mills. Some time ago, Peter constructed a Roman

ballista The ballista (Latin, from Greek βαλλίστρα ''ballistra'' and that from βάλλω ''ballō'', "throw"), plural ballistae, sometimes called bolt thrower, was an ancient missile weapon that launched either bolts or stones at a distant ta ...

and accidentally broke a window in the church while testing it. Two pigeons, taking advantage of the broken window, built a nest in the nave. "Operation Bird's Nest" is now underway, with Arthur climbing up to remove the nest. The gathered crowd below are (quite unnecessarily) concerned for his safety, except for Miss Cadell-Twitten, who is still seething about the ejection of the birds from the church. Arthur poses in an empty niche, which Mr Pritchard explains once held a statue of the Virgin Mary. The same day, the three friends set off to explore High Force on the moors, to see the waterfall and the tiny abandoned church of Little St. Mary's. Peter has an accident with his bicycle, aptly named the Yellow Peril. Seeking help at the Grange, they meet the Admiral and Guns, and are fascinated by the ancient ship's

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

on the Grange terrace and the workshop in the cellar where a

mill wheel A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of flowing or falling water into useful forms of power, often in a watermill. A water wheel consists of a wheel (usually constructed from wood or metal), with a number of blades or bucket ...

is being constructed to provide reliable electricity. The Admiral is in turn interested to hear about the ballista, and proposes that both weapons should be fired at targets to test their accuracy. They all go together to look at the church, and find it has been invaded by dozens of birds. It needs re-roofing, and thorough cleaning. They set about the various tasks with energy and enthusiasm, also stumbling on a mystery concerning the statue. Miss Cadell-Twitten hints that she knows the answer, but refuses to tell them because they accidentally frightened her bird Augustus. Plans to fire the cannon are scotched by the police sergeant, until an opportunity arrives just before Christmas, when they succeed in sinking a makeshift raft. Immediately afterwards, a blizzard starts and they help Mr Ramsgill gather in his scattered flock. An exceptionally heavy snowfall cuts off the moor, and even with a

snow plough A snowplow (also snow plow, snowplough or snow plough) is a device intended for mounting on a vehicle, used for removing snow and ice from outdoor surfaces, typically those serving transportation purposes. Although this term is often used to re ...

it is a struggle to return to the Grange through the deep drifts. David, the only one who can manage the

snowshoes Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

, checks on Bird Cottage and finds Miss Cadell-Twitten suffering from exposure. Grateful for her rescue, she tells them where to find the statue, which is recovered and returned to All Saints. The novel ends with a two-gun salute, as the Admiral and Guns set off in the spring in their new boat to explore the coastline of the British Isles.

Characters

;Boys * Peter Beckford, the mechanically-minded schoolboy son of the Rector, always inventing things * Arthur Ramsgill of Blackrock Farm on the edge of the moor, an expert climber and sheep-handler * David Hughes, son of a craftsman carpenter, imaginative and attracted to a life at sea ;Adults * The

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of All Saints church, Peter's father * Charlie Bastable, "Old Charlie", the

verger A verger (or virger, so called after the staff of the office, or wandsman (British)) is a person, usually a layperson, who assists in the ordering of religious services, particularly in Anglican churches. Etymology The title of ''verger'' a ...

* Mr Pritchard, the organist and choirmaster, town chemist and local historian * Father Ronald, a visiting

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

friar * Sergeant Macintosh, "Rainproof", a stern but amiable policeman * Miss Cadell-Twitten, "The Twitter", elderly bird-lover who lives in Bird Cottage on the moors, the eccentric owner of neighbouring Folly Grange * Admiral Sir John Beauchamp-Troubridge, V.C., D.S.O and bar, RN, retired, the temporary tenant of Folly Grange * "Guns" Kelly, the admiral's man, a former gunner * Bos'n Jake, a Swedish ex-

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Japa ...

who runs a

ship chandler A ship chandler is a retail dealer who specializes in providing supplies or equipment for ships. Synopsis For traditional sailing ships, items that could be found in a chandlery include sail-cloth, rosin, turpentine, tar, pitch, linseed oil, ...

's-cum-junk shop in Darnley Mills near the river * Mr Ramsgill, Arthur's father, a

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and montane grasslands and shrublands biomes, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland, nowadays, generally ...

sheep farmer * Mrs Ramsgill, Arthur's mother * Annie Ramsgill, Arthur's sister ;Animals * Fo'c'sle, the admiral's dog, an Alsatian * Captain, Mr Ramsgill's

hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, ridden by Arthur and David * Rob, Arthur's

sheepdog A sheep dog or sheepdog is generally a dog or breed of dogs historically used in connection with the raising of sheep. These include livestock guardian dogs used to guard sheep and other livestock and herding dogs used to move, manage and co ...

* Augustus, Miss Cadell-Twitten's cock pheasant

Themes and literary significance

The novel has been commended for its sense for community and realistic character portrayal, as well as for being a very funny story. In a 1972 history of British children's novels since World War II,

Marcus Crouch Marcus Crouch (12 February 1913 – 24 April 1996) was an English librarian, and an influential commentator on and reviewer of children's books.Sheila Ray. "Obituary: Marcus Crouch", ''Children's Literature Abstracts'', Issues 92-95, Internation ...

summarises, "''The Grange at High Force'' is about bikes and boats, gunpowder, Norman architecture, eighteenth-century social history, birds, ballistics. It is an unpromising hotchpotch but it works". Its unlikely mix of subject-matter, its juxtaposition of the comic and the serious, the characters' forthright approach to work, play and peril, are all "part of the absorbing business of living".Marcus Crouch, ''The Nesbit Tradition: The Children's Novel 1945–1970'', Ernest Benn, 1972, pp. 158–59.

Illustrations

The first edition was illustrated by the pen-and-ink sketches of

, an artist known for his newspaper cartoons. Crouch deprecates the lively caricatures because Turner's fictional characters, although amusing, are not the figures of fun Papas depicts. The US edition was illustrated by Wilton T. Mars in a more conventional style.

References

External links

* —immediately, first US edition {{DEFAULTSORT:Grange at High Force British children's novels Carnegie Medal in Literature winning works Novels set in England 1965 British novels 1965 children's books Oxford University Press books