Riseholme (fictional village) in "Lucia in London" (1927), in which Lucia launched herself on London society; "Mapp and Lucia" (1931), in which, following Peppino's death, both Lucia and Georgie (who entered into a companionable marriage in "Lucia's Progress", 1935), took holiday lets in the Sussex town of Tilling (based on Rye) where, at the end of the summer of 1930, they decided to settle. At Tilling Lucia unveiled her celebrated dish, Lobster "à la Riseholme". Lucia and Georgie visited Riseholme again in "Trouble for Lucia" (1939) where they stayed at the home of the operatic "prima donna" Olga Bracely and Lucia called on
Thomas Tilling and at the time had only one employee; a conductor, Mr. Joseph Eagle, who stayed with the firm until the end of his working life, well into the 1890s. By 1856, he owned 70 horses, which he used for bus and general carriage work. When the Metropolitan Fire Brigade was formed in 1866, Tilling was contracted to train and supply horses to haul the fire engines; the horses were trained to respond quickly and, prior to handover to the fire brigade, were employed on bus services (primarily the Peckham route) to gain experience with heavy traffic. Tilling soon became the