Swallows and Amazons characters in Arthur Ransome books According to Ransome, every place in his book can be found in the Lake District, but he took different locations and placed them in different ways: the lake is a fictionalised version of Windermere but the surrounding countryside more closely resembles that around Coniston. Wild Cat Island, the location of the island camp, has elements from Peel Island in Coniston and Blake Holme (or Blakeholme) in Windermere. Holly Howe, the farmhouse where the Swallows stay, is based on Bank Ground Farm, which exists to this day. It was featured in the 1974 film. Reviewing the
Richard Armstrong (author) Richard Armstrong (author) Richard Armstrong (18 June 1903 – 30 May 1986) was an English author who wrote for both adults and children. Most of his books were novels set at sea, or sea stories. For one of those, "Sea Change", he won the 1948 Carnegie Medal from the Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject. He is also known for a biography of Grace Darling in which he challenges the conventional story: "Grace Darling: Maid and Myth" (1965). He is often described on the cover of his books as "author and mariner". Ralph Richard