A Visit to London Through the Eyes of James Bond
A Visit to London Through the Eyes of James Bond
After the first two James Bond books, Moonraker came as something of a disappointment for some readers who would gladly have exchanged the grey skies of England for exotic Caribbean locations, or simply the gaming tables of Normandy. Some readers even wrote to author Ian Fleming to tell him so.
While that aspect of the book does disappoint, there are some memorable scenes nonetheless. However, for anyone living in the south of England, or Bond fans travelling to London, it is relatively easy to pick up 007's trail and spend a few moments in the footsteps of James Bond.
James Bond's London by Gary Giblin (2001) features locations from Fleming's books, as well as the films up to The World Is Not Enough, and is a handy size for visiting London. However, it is out of print and used copies currently go for around $100 so not an option for everyone, but a map of London - or a GPS - is essential.
While M's club - Blades - to which Bond is invited in a personal capacity to uncover a card cheat, does not actually exist, it was based on two clubs that were well known to Ian Fleming. Boodle's and Whites are located in St James Street and can be reached for Green Park tube station.
Following Drax from Blades on another occasion, the route takes James Bond to Drax's home in Ebury Street. Fleming himself had lived at number 22b in the 1930s and today there is a blue plaque commemorating the historic nature of the building.
Bond himself lived in a ground floor flat in a plane tree lined square in Chelsea and while the street was never named by Fleming, Bond aficionados have placed it at 30 Wellington Square. To get there take the tube to Sloane Square.
And one of Bond's favourite restaurants was Scott's, a famous Mayfair restaurant, which although located in Coventry Street in Fleming's day can now be found at Mount Street. Order dressed crab and Black Velvet or roast grouse and pink Champagne.
Moonraker is the only James Bond book that is set entirely in the UK. Although London and the south coast were to feature later in other books, it was only prior to getting to the real action overseas.
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