Swallow

Swallow and Amazons – 1928 Coniston Water

Swallow was bought by Arthur Ransome in April 1928 for £15 so that the Altounyan children could learn to sail whilst visiting their the grandparents at Coniston. Their father, Ernest Altounyan bought Mavis, the role model for Amazon. The story of Swallows and Amazon is based upon the children’s holiday in Coniston in 1928 and Arthur Ransome’s earlier visits to the area as a boy and young man. Swallow was described by Arthur Ransome as “The best little boat that ever was built”

Ernest Atounyan was a doctor of Irish-Syrian descent.  The family lived in Aleppo in Syria, where Ernest worked at a hospital established by his father. Ernest was married to Dora Collingwood, the daughter of William and Edith Collingwood. William was a painter and author, who had been Secretary to John Ruskin. William and Edith lived at Lanehead Farm (now a multi purpose activity centre on the east side of Coniston Water), whilst the Atounyan family stayed at Bank Ground Farm next door (now a cafe, farm shop and holiday accommodation). There were five Altounyan children – Taqui, Susie, Titty, Roger and Brigit

Arthur Ransome had first visited Coniston as a child staying at High Nibthwaite at the south end of the lake. His parents lived in Leeds. As a young man with literary aspirations he holidayed in the Lake District in 1896. He was befriended by William Collingwood staying in his house. The Collingwood family taught Arthur how to sail on a boat also called Swallow. Arthur proposed to each of his daughters, Dora and Barbara in turn, being rejected by both. He goes onto marry Ivy Walker, who he has a short unhappy marriage with. The couple have one daughter.

By 1928 Arthur Ransome had returned to the Lake District living in the Winster Valley, within sight of Arnside, after working as a newspaper journalist and possible spy in Russia during the First World War and Bolshevik Revolution. In 1925 Arthur married Evgenia Shelepin, who had been Trotsky’s secretary.

Arthur Ransome got the inspiration to write Swallows and Amazons whilst sailing Swallow on Windermere on 23rd March 1929. The book was published in 21 July 1930.

Arthur Ransome based the Swallows children on the Altounyan children changing Tacqui the oldest child into a boy “John”. Strangely he changed the surname to Walker, the maiden name of his first wife. Roger Altounyan (Boy Roger in the book) went onto be a leading pharmacist inventing a drug to treat Asthma.

We know that Swallow was built in Arnside as Arthur Ransome recalls in his diary on 23rd January 1933 visiting Crossfields and speaking to Francis Crossfield, now over 80, the builder of Swallow. Francis was the younger brother of William Crossfield who set up the Beach Walk Boatyard on the shore at Arnside.

Windermere Autumn 1928 – 1934

After the Altounyan had returned to Syria, Swallow was taken to Windermere, closer to Arthur’s home overlooking the Winster Valley. On Oct 20th 1928 Arthur Ransome sailed Swallow with his school friend Ted Scott, the son of the owner and editor of the Manchester Guardian. Swallow was overwintered in Borwick Boatbuilder’s shed at Bowness

At the start of 1928 season using an old car engine as a weight a mooring was installed for Swallow in the lake. The wooden buoy had Swallow written on it.  Over next four years Arthur Ransome sailed extensively on Windermere. In May he recorded sailing from Bowness to Ambleside in less than one hour. Many of places on the lake he visited appeared in his books under a different name. Arthur registered Swallow with the Cruising Association and took part in Royal Windermere races. Sometimes he came back soaking wet after an exhilarating sail in rough conditions. Other times he took his cat as company. Arthur paid Walkers Boatyard at Ferry Nab £5 a year to look after her, bailing her our in summer and keeping under cover in winter.

In 1935 Swallow was bought Roger Fothergill, a 15 year old from Arnside for £14 from Walkers Boatyard at Bowness. Roger kept her on the estuary at Arnside teaching himself to sail on Swallow.

Roger modified Swallow to make her sail better by adding a bowsprit and jib reducing weather helm. He cast the lead ballast that was in a box into a long length which he laid above the keel reducing leeway.  Roger taught himself to sail on Swallow.

Roger sailed her extensively at Arnside, sailing to Grange-over-Sands, Flookborough, Sandside, Silverdale and even  Morecambe.. He slept on Swallow under an awning spread over the boom and cooked on a Primus stove

In 1939 when World War II breaks out. Roger Fothergill, now aged 19, arranges with Crossfields to sell her, whilst He joined  the merchant navy. Swallow is recorded as being sold to a Mr Bernfield. The first secretary of Arnside Sailing Club was Jack Bernfield who in 1958 lived in the house above the Boatyard. It is not known whether they are same person or were related.

No further records of Swallow exist  Mavis “Amazon” is now in collection of the Ruskin Museum in Coniston. A number of replicas of Swallow exist, including the boat used in 2016 film which is now in the Windermere Jetty Museum..

Roger Fothergill went onto become a head of a yachting school on the River Hamble near Southampton, a  partner in a yacht charter business in the West Indies and leading ocean yachtsman. He died in the West Indies in 1999, aged 79. In the 1950s he owned Kestrel, a Morecambe Bay Prawner, which he kept at Millom. Two of Roger’s subsequent yachts Craignair and Tern IV are recorded in the National Historic Ships Register.