Tilling (Sussex) of Elizabeth Mapp and subsequently of Lucia, who renamed it Mallards House. Cynthia & Tony Reavell (1984) "E F Benson: Mr Benson remembered in Rye, and the World of Tilling" contained a map of Tilling that drew on references in the books and the layout of Rye itself. A similar plan was reproduced in Holt's novels. In some instances, the street names of Tiling and Rye coincided – for example, High Street (the location of Godiva Plaistow's house, "Wasters") and West Street ("Quaint" Irene Coles' "Taormina") – but there were some variations: Mermaid Street became, in Tilling, Porpoise Street (where
Thomas Tilling independently until nationalisation began in the late 1940s. Tilling Motor Services Ltd was formed from the break-up. As part of the government's moves toward nationalisation of the transport industry, the Transport Act 1947 resulted in formation of the British Transport Commission (BTC). The railway companies were nationalised from 1 January 1948 with the result that their major stake in the Tilling and BET bus companies passed into public ownership from that date. Tilling sold its remaining holdings to the BTC at the beginning of 1949, as did the Scottish Motor Traction group. Thomas Tilling (BTC) Ltd. was set up as