View source for Blandings Castle

{{Short description|Fictional location in the works of P. G. Wodehouse}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Redirect|Blandings|the 2013 TV series|Blandings (TV series)}}
{{For|the 1935 collection of Wodehouse's short stories|Blandings Castle and Elsewhere}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2021}}
[[File:Hunstanton Hall (geograph 5957827).jpg|thumb|[[Hunstanton Hall]], one of several stately homes on which Wodehouse might have modeled Blandings Castle]]

'''Blandings Castle''' is a recurring [[fictional location]] in the stories of British comic writer [[P. G. Wodehouse]], being the seat of [[Lord Emsworth]] and the setting for numerous tales and adventures. The stories were written between 1915 and 1975.

The series of stories taking place at the castle, in its environs and involving its denizens have come to be known as the "Blandings books", or, in a phrase used by Wodehouse in his preface to the 1969 reprint of the first book, "the Blandings Castle Saga".<ref>
{{Cite book
 | author      = Wodehouse, P. G.
 | year        = 1969 <!--published 1969, written 1968, "fifty-three years ago" after 1915-->
 | chapter     = Preface [new since the 1969 edition]
 | title       = Something Fresh
 | quote       = ''Something Fresh'' was the first of what I might call – in fact, I will call – the Blandings Castle Saga.
 | author-link       = P. G. Wodehouse
}}
</ref>

In a radio broadcast on 15 July 1961, [[Evelyn Waugh]] said: "The gardens of Blandings Castle are that original garden from which we are all exiled."<ref>
{{cite news |last=Waugh |first=Evelyn |author-link=Evelyn Waugh |date=16 July 1961 |title=Text of broadcast over Home Service of BBC |work=[[Sunday Times]]}} [reprinted as: {{Cite book |last=Waugh |first=Evelyn |url=https://archive.org/details/essaysarticlesre0000waug |title=The Essays, Articles and Reviews of Evelyn Waugh |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |year=1983 |editor-last=Gallagher |editor-first=Donat |location=Boston, Toronto |page=[https://archive.org/details/essaysarticlesre0000waug/page/566/mode/2up 567] |chapter=An Act of Homage and Reparation |isbn=9780316926430 |author-link=Evelyn Waugh}}]</ref>

==The Castle==
Blandings Castle, lying in the picturesque [[River valley|Vale]] of Blandings, [[Shropshire]], England, is {{convert|2|mi|spell=in}} from the town of [[P. G. Wodehouse locations#Market Blandings|Market Blandings]], home to at least nine pubs, most notably the [[P. G. Wodehouse locations#The Emsworth Arms|Emsworth Arms]].

The tiny hamlet of [[P. G. Wodehouse locations#Blandings Parva|Blandings Parva]] lies directly outside the castle gates and the town of [[P. G. Wodehouse locations#Much Matchingham|Much Matchingham]], home to [[P. G. Wodehouse locations#Matchingham Hall|Matchingham Hall]], the residence of [[Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe]], is also nearby.

The castle is a noble pile, of Early [[Tudor architecture|Tudor]] building ("its history is recorded in England's history books and [[Eugène Viollet-le-Duc|Viollet-le-Duc]] has written of its architecture", according to ''[[Something Fresh]]''). One of England's largest [[stately home]]s, it dominates the surrounding country, standing on a knoll of rising ground at the southern end of the celebrated Vale of Blandings; the [[Severn]] gleams in the distance. From its noble battlements, the [[Wrekin]] can be seen.

The famous moss-carpeted Yew Alley (subject to the devious gravelling schemes of Angus McAllister) leads to a small wood with a rough [[gamekeeper]]'s cottage, which [[Psmith]] made use of, not to write poetry as he at first claimed, but to stash stolen jewellery. Another gamekeeper's cottage, in the West Wood, makes a pleasant home for the [[Empress of Blandings]] for a spell. The rose garden is another famous beauty spot, ideal for courting lovers. There is a lake, where Lord Emsworth often takes a brisk swim in the mornings.

The house has numerous guest rooms, many of which have not been used since [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth]] roamed the country. Of those still in use, the Garden Room is the finest, usually given to the most prestigious guest; it has a balcony outside its French windows, which can be easily accessed via a handy drainpipe.

The main [[library]] has a smaller library leading off it, and windows overlooking some flowerbeds; it is here that Lord Emsworth is often to be found on wet days, his nose deep in an improving tome of country lore, his favourite being Whiffle on ''The Care of the Pig''.

===Possible locations===
There have been a number of attempts to identify a real building whose location Wodehouse might have used as the setting for the fictional Blandings Castle:

* In 1977, [[Richard Usborne]] included a report by railway historian [[Michael Cobb (railway historian)|Michael Cobb]] in an appendix to the unfinished ''[[Sunset at Blandings]]''. Based on details of train journeys and travel times given in Wodehouse's stories, Cobb argued that [[Buildwas]] in Shropshire best fitted the description of Market Blandings, thus placing Blandings Castle at one of two locations nearby. However, in a parenthetical aside, he asked whether "anyone ha[d] considered that Blandings Castle was really [[Apley Hall|Apley Park]]" (or Hall).<ref>{{cite book|last=Wodehouse|first=Pelham Grenville|title=Sunset at Blandings|year=1977|publisher=Chatto & Windus|location=London|isbn=0701122374|pages=195|author2=appendices by Richard Usborne  |author3=ill. by Ionicus }}</ref> Apley Park (or Hall) is less than {{convert|6|mi|abbr=on}} from Buildwas.
* In 1986, Norman Murphy, in his ''In Search of Blandings'', looked at a whole range of criteria based around architecture and landscape features. His main suggestions were [[Sudeley Castle]], [[Gloucestershire]] for the castle itself, and [[Weston Park]], [[Staffordshire]] for the gardens.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=N. T. P. |date=1987 |orig-date=1986 |title=In Search of Blandings |url=https://archive.org/details/insearchofblandi0000murp_c0c8 |url-access=registration |location=London |publisher=Penguin |isbn=014010299X |oclc=1330345553 |via=[[Internet Archive]]}} (Previously published privately by the author in 1981).</ref> The owners of Sudeley, also the resting place of Queen [[Katherine Parr]], have since emphasised the Wodehouse connection.
* In 1999, Norman Murphy again suggested [[Hunstanton Hall]] in [[Norfolk]], the home of the LeStrange family from 1137 to 1954, where Wodehouse visited in the 1920s, as inspiration for Blandings, its master, and "the real Empress of Blandings".<ref>Murphy 1999, op. cit.</ref>
* In 2003, Dr Daryl Lloyd and Dr Ian Greatbatch (two researchers in the Department of Geography and [[Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis]], [[University College London]]) made use of a [[Geographic Information System]] to analyse a set of geographical criteria, such as a [[viewshed]] analysis of [[The Wrekin]] and drive time from [[Shrewsbury]]. Their final conclusion was that [[Apley Hall]] was the best suited location for fulfilling the geographical criteria.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lloyd |first1=Daryl A. |last2=Greatbatch |first2=Ian D. |date=2009 |title=The Search for Blandings |journal=Journal of Maps |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=126–133 |doi=10.4113/jom.2009.4 |s2cid=140649994 |issn=1744-5647 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2009JMaps...5..126L }}</ref><ref>Kirby 2003, op. cit.</ref><ref>Tibbetts 2003, op. cit.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul |date=5 September 2003 |title=Sleuthing students solve Wodehouse castle mystery |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/sep/05/artsandhumanities.arts |location=London |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=7 October 2022}}</ref>

==Residents and guests==
===The family===
{{Main|List of P. G. Wodehouse characters#Threepwood family}}

The master of Blandings is, nominally at least, [[Lord Emsworth]]. Clarence, the ninth Earl, is an amiably absent-minded old chap, who is charming because of his slow, relaxed lifestyle and the simple obsessions that make him oblivious to the absurd melodrama of his family, namely his home, gardens, pumpkins, and his champion pig, [[Empress of Blandings]]. He is never happier than when pottering about the grounds on a fine sunny day.

Lord Emsworth's ten sisters (all of whom look like the "daughter of a hundred earls", except for Hermione, who looks like a cook), his brother [[Galahad Threepwood|Galahad]] ("Gally"), his daughter Mildred, his sons [[Freddie Threepwood|Freddie]] and George, and his numerous nieces, nephews, and in-laws inhabit the castle from time to time. For the Threepwood family, and their friends, the castle is forever available for indefinite residence, and is occasionally used as a temporary prison&mdash;known as "[[Devil's Island]]" or "The [[Bastille]]"&mdash;for love-struck young men and ladies to calm down.

Emsworth's sister Ann plays the role of [[châtelain]]e when we first visit the Castle, in ''[[Something Fresh]]''. Following her reign, Lady Constance Keeble usually acts as châtelaine until she marries American millionaire James Schoonmaker and spends most of her time in America.  Another married sister, Hermione, takes over the duties when Constance is traveling, or otherwise unavailable.  While all of Lord Emsworth's sisters are 'take-charge' types, Constance ("Connie") in particular has a very domineering and impatient temperament, as well as a cutting vocabulary; Clarence lives in dread of her occasional return visits to the Castle.

Lady Julia Fish (another sister) is "the iron hand beneath the [[leather glove]]", whose son Ronald Fish ("Ronnie") marries a chorus girl named Sue Brown, much to her displeasure.  Sue is the daughter of the only woman whom Gally ever loved&mdash;Dolly Henderson&mdash;though Gally insists Sue is not Ronnie's cousin.

The other sisters (not all of whom are seen, as they are married and live elsewhere) are: Charlotte, Dora, Florence, Georgiana, Jane (deceased), and Diana, the only one that Gally likes (''[[Sunset at Blandings]]''). They have a third brother, who has died, called Lancelot.

===The staff===
Blandings's ever-present butler is [[Sebastian Beach]], with eighteen years service at the castle under his ample belt, and its other domestic servants have at various times included Mrs Twemlow the housekeeper, an under-butler named Merridew, and a number of footmen, such as Charles, Thomas, Stokes, James and Alfred. The chauffeurs Slingsby and Alfred Voules drive the castle's stately [[Hispano-Suiza]], or, in an emergency, the [[Albatross (automobile)|Albatross]] or the Antelope (''[[Summer Lightning]]''). Scottish head gardeners Thorne and Angus McAllister have tended the grounds, while George Cyril Wellbeloved, James Pirbright and the [[Amazons|Amazonian]] Monica Simmons have each in turn taken care of Lord Emsworth's beloved prize pig, [[Empress of Blandings]].

Emsworth has employed a series of secretaries, most notable among them [[Rupert Baxter]], the highly efficient young man who never seems to be able to keep away from Blandings, despite Lord Emsworth's increasingly low opinion of his sanity. He was succeeded in the post by [[Psmith|Ronald Psmith]], and later by the likes of Hugo Carmody and [[Monty Bodkin]]. The castle's splendid library was catalogued, for the first time since 1885, by Eve Halliday.

===Notable visitors===
Many people pass through the doors of Blandings, including guests and friends of the family, prospective additions to the family, temporary staff, pig-lovers, day-trippers, detectives, crooks and of course impostors galore. Among the most distinguished are the grumpy Duke of Dunstable; leading brain-specialist [[Sir Roderick Glossop]]; publishing magnate [[George Alexander Pyke, Lord Tilbury|Lord Tilbury]]; the fifth Earl of Ickenham, known to all as [[Uncle Fred]]; and [[Percy Pilbeam]], head of the Argus Enquiry Agency employed to locate the lost pig and recover Gally's manuscript of his memoirs.

==Books==
Blandings Castle serves as the setting for eleven [[novel]]s and nine [[short story|short stories]].

* ''[[Something Fresh]]'' (1915) —&nbsp;Also published under the title ''Something New''.
* ''[[Leave it to Psmith]]'' (1923)
* ''[[Blandings Castle and Elsewhere]]'' (1935) &ndash; Six short stories of twelve, written from 1924 to 1931, occurring before the events of ''Summer Lightning'':
** "[[The Custody of the Pumpkin]]"
** "[[Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best]]"
** "[[Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey]]"
** "[[Company for Gertrude]]"
** "[[The Go-getter]]"
** "[[Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend]]"
* ''[[Summer Lightning]]'' (1929)
* ''[[Heavy Weather (Wodehouse novel)|Heavy Weather]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Lord Emsworth and Others]]'' (1937) &ndash; One short story of nine:
** "[[The Crime Wave at Blandings]]"
* ''[[Uncle Fred in the Springtime]]'' (1939)
* ''[[Full Moon (novel)|Full Moon]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Nothing Serious (short stories)|Nothing Serious]]'' (1950) &ndash; One short story of ten:
** "[[Birth of a Salesman]]"
* ''[[Pigs Have Wings]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Service with a Smile]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Galahad at Blandings]]'' (1965)
* ''[[Plum Pie]]'' (1966) &ndash; One short story of nine (probably to be read before ''Service with a Smile''):
** "[[Sticky Wicket at Blandings]]"
* ''[[A Pelican at Blandings]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Sunset at Blandings]]'' (1977)

Wodehouse worked on ''Sunset at Blandings'' until his death, writing even in his hospital bed. It was unfinished and untitled when he died, and was subsequently edited (by Richard Usborne) and released in its incomplete form with extensive notes on the content.

All nine Blandings short stories were collected together in one volume entitled ''Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best'' in 1992.

The [[Folio Society]] published a six volume set ''The Best of Blandings'' consisting of ''[[Summer Lightning]], [[Heavy Weather (Wodehouse novel)|Heavy Weather]], [[Uncle Fred in the Springtime]], [[Full Moon]], [[Pigs Have Wings]],'' and ''[[Service with a Smile]]''.

==Adaptations==
===Television===
* Televised plays adapted from the short stories "[[Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey]]" and "[[Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend]]" aired in 1954 and 1956 on BBC Television.
* The Castle and its inhabitants were the subject of six half-hour adaptations under the title ''Blandings Castle'', made by the [[BBC]] (also known as ''[[The World of Wodehouse]]'' series). Adapted from some of the shorts in ''[[Blandings Castle and Elsewhere]]'' and "[[The Crime Wave at Blandings]]", they were broadcast in 1967 and starred [[Ralph Richardson]] as Lord Emsworth, [[Meriel Forbes]] as Lady Constance, [[Stanley Holloway]] as Beach and [[Derek Nimmo]] as Freddie. Only extracts from one episode survive ("[[Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend]]"),<ref>[http://www.lostshows.com/default.aspx?season=407a2551-82a0-414a-935e-1da1b4594c36 ''The World of Wodehouse'': Series 1: "Blandings Castle"] lostshows.com</ref> the series is [[Lost television broadcast|lost]].
* Two German television films based on the Blandings Castle stories were broadcast in West Germany. The first, ''Blut Floss auf Blandings Castle'', was broadcast in 1967. The second film, ''Der Lord und Seine Koenigin'', was broadcast in 1977 and was adapted from the play ''Oh, Clarence!''.<ref>Taves (2006), pp. 182, 187.</ref>
* [[Cyril Luckham]] played Lord Emsworth and [[John Savident]] played Beach in the 1981 BBC television film ''Thank You, P. G. Wodehouse''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b778ddee0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320233408/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b778ddee0 |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 March 2018 |title=Thank You, P.G.Wodehouse (1981) |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2019 |website=BFI |publisher=British Film Institute |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref>
* In 1995, the BBC, with partners including [[WGBH-TV|WGBH Boston]], adapted ''[[Heavy Weather (Wodehouse novel)|Heavy Weather]]'' into a 95-minute [[TV movie]]. It was first screened on [[Christmas Eve]] 1995 in the UK, and shown in the US by [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] on February 18, 1996. It starred [[Peter O'Toole]] as Lord Emsworth, [[Richard Briers]] as Gally, [[Roy Hudd]] as Beach, [[Samuel West]] as Monty Bodkin and [[Judy Parfitt]] as Lady Constance. It was directed by [[Jack Gold]] with a screenplay by Douglas Livingstone, and was generally well received by fans.
* [[BBC One]] produced a series of six episodes, called ''[[Blandings (TV series)|Blandings]]'', starring [[Timothy Spall]] and [[Jennifer Saunders]] which premiered in January 2013.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Maggie|title=BBC looks to steal Downton ratings with two helpings of PG Wodehouse|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/dec/29/bbc-downton-pg-wodehouse|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|date=December 29, 2012|access-date=December 30, 2012}}</ref> A second series of seven episodes aired in February 2014.

===Film===
* Clive Currie portrayed Lord Emsworth and [[Toni Edgar-Bruce]] portrayed Lady Constance in the film ''[[Leave It to Me (1933 film)|Leave It to Me]]'' (1933), based on the novel ''[[Leave It to Psmith]]''.
* [[Horace Hodges]] played Lord Emsworth in the 1933 silent film ''[[Summer Lightning (film)|Summer Lightning]]'', based on the novel ''[[Summer Lightning]]''.
* The 1938 Swedish film ''[[Thunder and Lightning (1938 film)|Thunder and Lightning]]'' (Swedish title: ''Blixt och dunder'') was adapted from the novel ''Summer Lightning''.<ref>Taves (2006), p. 168.</ref>

===Stage===
* The novel ''Leave It to Psmith'' was adapted as a play by Wodehouse and [[Ian Hay]]. The play premiered in 1930. Clive Currie portrayed the Earl of Middlewick, the play's version of Lord Emsworth, and [[Basil Foster]] played Psmith.
* The play ''Oh, Clarence!'', a comedy in two acts, was adapted by [[John Chapman (screenwriter)|John Chapman]] from the Blandings Castle stories. The play opened at the [[Manchester Opera House]] on 20 July 1968, and subsequently at the [[Lyric Theatre, London]], on 28 August 1968.<ref>McIlvaine (1990), p. 140, C12, and p. 306, J46.</ref> The cast included [[Naunton Wayne]] as Lord Emsworth, [[Agnes Lauchlan]] as Lady Constance, and [[James Hayter (actor)|James Hayter]] as Beach.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theatrememorabilia.co.uk/london-lyric-theatre-oh-clarence-1968-jon-pertwee-p-1310 |title=London Lyric Theatre — Oh, Clarence! Programme |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2019 |website=Theatre Memorabilia UK  |access-date=22 December 2019}}</ref>
* [[Giles Havergal]] adapted ''[[Summer Lightning]]'' as a play in 1992.

===Radio===
* The short story "[[The Crime Wave at Blandings]]" was adapted for radio in 1939.
* Dramatisations of two of the short stories, "[[Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best]]" and "[[Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey]]", were broadcast in 1940. The adaptations aired on the [[BBC Home Service]].
* ''[[Leave It to Psmith]]'' was adapted for radio in 1981 by [[Michael Bakewell]].
* [[Giles Havergal]]  adapted ''[[Full Moon (novel)|Full Moon]]'' for radio in 1999.
*Between 1985 and 1992, [[BBC Radio 4]] broadcast several adaptations in the ''[[Blandings (radio series)|Blandings]]'' radio series, starring [[Richard Vernon]] as Emsworth and [[Ian Carmichael]] as Galahad.
* Archie Scottney adapted BBC radio dramatisations of ''[[Something Fresh]]'' (2009),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00jc440|website=BBC Radio 4|year=2020|title=Something Fresh: Episode 1|publisher=BBC|access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref> ''[[Summer Lightning]]'' (2010),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00swkc1|website=BBC Radio 4|year=2020|title=Summer Lightning: Episode 1|publisher=BBC|access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref> ''[[Uncle Fred in the Springtime]]'' (2012),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01gf4lq|website=BBC Radio 4|year=2020|title=Uncle Fred in the Springtime: Episode 1|publisher=BBC|access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref> and ''[[Leave it to Psmith]]'' (2020),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000j7qj|website=BBC Radio 4|year=2020|title=Leave it to Psmith: 1. Poets at Blandings|publisher=BBC|access-date=17 May 2020}}</ref> with [[Martin Jarvis (actor)|Martin Jarvis]] as Lord Emsworth, and [[Patricia Hodge]] as Lady Constance in all except ''Something Fresh''.
* Many of the stories and novels are available as [[audiobook]]s, including an abridged series narrated by Martin Jarvis.

===Literature===
* ''Lord Emsworth's Annotated Whiffle: The Care of the Pig'' by James Hogg purports to be an abridged version of Lord Emsworth's annotated copy of ''The Care of the Pig'' by fictional author Augustus Whiffle.<ref>{{cite book |title=Lord Emsworth's Annotated Whiffle: The Care of the Pig |date=2020 |isbn=978-0870081347 |last1=Hogg |first1=James |publisher=Heineman }}</ref> It was published by Michael Joseph Ltd. in 1991 and by Heinemann Educational Books in 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/869219.Lord_Emsworth_s_Annotated_Whiffle |title=Lord Emsworth's Annotated Whiffle: The Care of the Pig by Augustus Whiffle |date=2020 |website=Goodreads |access-date=24 January 2020}}</ref>
* ''The Reminiscences of the Hon. Galahad Threepwood'' by N. T. P. Murphy is meant to be the memoirs of Galahad Threepwood mentioned in Wodehouse's novels ''[[Summer Lightning]]'' and ''[[Heavy Weather (Wodehouse novel)|Heavy Weather]]''. It was published by Porpoise Books in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4828831-the-reminiscences-of-the-hon-galahad-threepwood |title=The Reminiscences of the Hon. Galahad Threepwood by N.T.P. Murphy |date=2020 |website=Goodreads |access-date=24 January 2020}}</ref> Murphy also wrote academic books about Wodehouse's works, including ''In Search of Blandings''.
* The short story "The Case of the Starving Swine" by Gayle Lange Puhl adds [[Sherlock Holmes]] to the Blandings short story "[[Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey]]". The story was printed in Puhl's book ''Sherlock Holmes and the Folk Tale Mysteries - Volume 1'', published in 2015 by MX Publishing.<ref>{{cite book|last=Puhl|first=Gayle Lange|title=Sherlock Holmes and the Folk Tale Mysteries - Volume 1|year=2015|publisher=MX Publishing|location=London|isbn=978-1780928036|chapter=The Case of the Starving Swine}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[List of P. G. Wodehouse characters#Blandings Castle|A categorized list of characters]] appearing in the Blandings stories

==References==

; Sources consulted (main article) <!--ALPHABETICALLY-->

* {{Cite web
 | author     = Kuzmenko, Michel (The Russian Wodehouse Society)
 | date       = 2007-03-22 <!--PAGE'S HTTP LAST-MODIFIED-->
 | title      = Wodehouse books
 | work       = Bibliography
 | url        = http://wodehouse.ru/bibeng.htm
 | access-date = 2007-07-24 <!--NO ARCHIVING HERE, IT A LARGE MULTIPAGE SOURCE-->
}}
* {{cite book|last1=McIlvaine|first1=Eileen|first2=Louise S.|last2=Sherby|first3=James H.|last3=Heineman|title=P. G. Wodehouse: A Comprehensive Bibliography and Checklist|date=1990|publisher=James H. Heineman Inc.|location=New York|isbn=978-0-87008-125-5}}
* {{cite book | author-last=Taves | author-first=Brian | year= 2006 | title= P. G. Wodehouse and Hollywood | location= London |publisher= McFarland & Company | isbn= 978-0-7864-2288-3}}
* {{Cite book
 | author      = Usborne, Richard
 | year        = 1991
 | title       = After hours with P. G. Wodehouse
 | location    = London
 | publisher   = Hutchinson
 | isbn          = 0-09-174712-0
 | author-link      = Richard Usborne
}}
* {{Cite book
 | author      = Usborne, Richard
 | year        = 2003
 | title       = Plum Sauce: A P. G. Wodehouse Companion
 | location    = New York
 | publisher   = The Overlook Press
 | pages       = 37–45, 96–127
 | isbn          = 1-58567-441-9
 | author-link       = Richard Usborne
}}

; Sources consulted (locations) <!--ALPHABETICALLY-->

* {{Cite web
 | author      = Kirby, Alex
 | date        = 2003-09-04
 | title       = Zeroing in on Blandings
 | work        = [[BBC News Online]]
 | url         = https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3078912.stm
 | access-date  = 2007-08-10
 | author-link        = Alex Kirby (journalist)
}}
* {{Cite web
 |author       = Murphy, Norman
 |date         = 1999 <!--SOURCE http://www.pgwodehousesociety.org.uk/houston.htm -->
 |title        = Wodehouse and The Real Empress of Blandings
 |work         = Wodehouse Among the Animals (Wodehouse Convention talk)
 |url          = http://www.pgwodehousesociety.org.uk/pighooey.htm
 |access-date   = 2007-08-10
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20110716072924/http://www.pgwodehousesociety.org.uk/pighooey.htm
 |archive-date = 2011-07-16
 |url-status   = dead
}}
* {{Cite web
 | author      = Tibbetts, Graham
 | date        = 2003-09-05
 | title       = Mystery of Wodehouse castle 'solved' at last
 | work        = [[The Daily Telegraph]] (at Wodehouse.ru)
 | url         = http://wodehouse.ru/dt050903.htm
 | access-date  = 2007-08-10
}}

; Endnotes

{{Reflist}}

==External links==

; Adaptations

* {{IMDb title|qid=Q7637359|title="Summer Lightning" (1933)}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q5496804|title="Blandings Castle" (1967)}}
* ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20031005101649/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/b/blandingscastle_1299000352.shtml "Blandings Castle" (1967)]'' at the [[BBC]] Comedy Guide
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q5695217|title="Heavy Weather" (1995)}}

; Locations

* {{Cite web
 | title       = Apley Hall (Pre 1962)
 | work       = Apley-Park.org
 | url       = http://www.apley-park.org/apley_pre_1962/wodehouse.htm
 | url-status       = dead
 | archive-url       = https://web.archive.org/web/20071027125743/http://www.apley-park.org/apley_pre_1962/wodehouse.htm
 | archive-date       = 2007-10-27
 }} – Many photographs (on a copy of the Tibbetts 2003 article)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140304220640/http://www.dicamillocompanion.com/houses_detail.asp?ID=63  Apley Park entry from The DiCamillo Companion to British & Irish Country Houses]

{{Blandings Castle}}
{{P. G. Wodehouse}}
[[Category:Fictional elements introduced in 1915]]
[[Category:P. G. Wodehouse locations]]
[[Category:Fictional fortifications]]
[[Category:Book series]]
[[Category:Fictional houses]]
[[Category:Pigs in literature]]
[[Category:Fictional locations in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Shropshire in fiction]]
[[Category:Fictional buildings and structures originating in literature]]