Victor Canning: characters, themes and locations

Adler (Fountain Inn)

Chief clerk of Granada Finance Corporation.

African Nigger Cut (Fountain Inn)

The brand of tobacco that Grace's father used to smoke.

Ballard, Dorian (Fountain Inn)

Writer who witnesses the colonel's will.

B.A.T. (Fountain Inn)

Grace regularly sees a man carrying a briefcase labelled B.A.T. and wonders what it stands for. Possibly 'British American Tobacco', since the company was founded in 1902.

Brown, Ben (Fountain Inn)

Partner with his wife Helen in General Factotums, and a central character in the book.

Brown, Helen (Fountain Inn)

Partner with her husband Ben in General Factotums, and a central character in the book.

Bruce Brothers' Store (Fountain Inn)

Fictional department store, whose building forms one blank side of the quadrangle of Fountain Inn.

Bull Hotel (Fountain Inn)

Where Ben and Helen stay in Hormenden when investingating Harden Hall.

Burns, Mr. and Mrs. (Fountain Inn)

Caretakers of Harden Hall. Mr. Burns plays cricket for the village team.

Cannon Street (Fountain Inn)

London station which Grace Kirkstall uses on her journey to work.

Chain Walk (Fountain Inn)

Fictional street adjacent to Fountain Inn.

Chancery Lane (Fountain Inn)

London street adjacent to Holborn. The Chancery Lane tube station is beisde Staple Inn, the model for Fountain Inn. Spenser and Trout have their offices there.

Chelmsford (Fountain Inn)

Leader Rackman from Chelmsford is one of several people who address the meetings of the Society for Progrssive Rehabilitation.

Craddock and Couch Ltd.(Fountain Inn)

Firm of architects that George Crane works for. First floor tenants at Fountain Inn.

Crane, George (Fountain Inn)

Architect and central character in the story. 27 years old, a Lowland Scot who speaks with a trace of a Scottish accent.

cricket (Fountain Inn)

Ben and Helen watch a village cricket match at Hormenden in which Mr. Burns is playing.

Daily Sketch (Fountain Inn)

Grace Kirkstall's daily paper.

Dalby, Mrs. (Fountain Inn)

Charwoman at Miss Logan's house. Wife of Fred Dalby who is a nightwatchman at Harridges.

Del. (Fountain Inn)

Grace is thrilled to see the credit "Del. George Crane" on the architectural drawings of the Home of Rehabilitation, showing that George had made the design.

didikies (Fountain Inn)

Disparaging Kentish term for gypsies. The late Colonel Hasted-Halifax disliked them.

Dijon (Fountain Inn)

See Gloire de Dijon.

Ealing (Fountain Inn)

Miss Logan lives at The Hollies, Sheldon Road, Ealing. Sheldon Road exists.

Eastern Imports Ltd. (Fountain Inn)

Second floor tenants of Fountain Inn.

Elizabeth (Fountain Inn)

Name of the resident cat at Fountain Inn.

Etoile d'or (Fountain Inn)

Brand name of the cigarette paper in the butt that Helen finds at Miss Logan's house and the one that Ben later finds at Fountain Court and tracks down to Mr. Burns.

Fisher Road (Fountain Inn)

Road in Harrow where Grace lives.

Foreign Legion (Fountain Inn)

Ben Brown threatens to join the Foreign Legion as he is bored by the work at General Factotums.

Fountain Inn (Fountain Inn)

One of the Inns of Court. Said to be based on the real-life Staple Inn, which is located at Chancery Lane tube station.

General Factotums (Fountain Inn)

Third floor tenants of Fountain Inn, "a concern that specialises in the execution of all those odd jobs and awkward commissions which, for one reason or another, you find yourself unable to do."

Gloire de Dijon (Fountain Inn)

Type of rose. Grace overhears fellow passengers talking about roses on her journey to work.

Gold Goes Begging (Fountain Inn)

Best seller by Dorian Ballard.

Grace (Fountain Inn)

See Kirkstall, Grace

Granada (Fountain Inn)

Cinema that Grace visits on a Friday night.

Granada Finance Corporation (Fountain Inn)

Ground floor tenants at Fountain Inn.

Gray's Inn Road (Fountain Inn)

Location of the meeting hall where the Society forprogressive Rehabilitation holds its public meetings.

Halifax, Robert (Fountain Inn)

Australian client of General Factotums. He asks them to investigate the will of his uncle, Colonel Hasted-Halifax.

Halthorpe, Doctor (Fountain Inn)

Doctor of Miss Harrington in Hastings.

Harden Hall (Fountain Inn)

Colonel Hasted-Halifax's house which he has left to the Society for Progressive Rehabilitation. Ben and Helen visit it posing as buyers.

Harridges (Fountain Inn)

Mrs. Dalby's husband is "a nightwatchman at Harridges". I presume Canning wants us to think of a large department store such as Harrods.

Harrington, Miss (Fountain Inn)

Client of General Factotums who send them a torn-up letter to be re-assembled.

Hasted-Halifax, Colonel (Fountain Inn)

Late uncle of Robert Halifax, who has unexpectedlu bequeathed most of his fortune to the Society for Progressive Rehabilitation.

Hindle, Ralph (Fountain Inn)

8-year-old son of Thomas Hindle who helps him with closing the gates.

Hindle, Thomas (Fountain Inn)

Caretaker at Fountain Inn.

Hines (Fountain Inn)

Assistant architect at Craddock and Crouch.

Holborn (Fountain Inn)

London district, location of Fountain Inn.

Hollies (Fountain Inn)

The Hollies is the name of Miss Logan's house in Sheldon Road.

Hormenden (Fountain Inn)

Fictitious village in Kent, residence of the late Colonel Hasted-Halifax, where Ben and Helen go in search of Miss Logan. There does exist a village of Horsmonden, and the pattern is a common one for Kent names. Canning was living in Kent when he wrote the book.

Irving, Henry (1838-1905) (Fountain Inn)

Famous actor. Thomas Hindle "looked like a caretaker, but he had the soul of an actor, a grand, end-of-the-century actor, an Irving, a Tree." Tree refers to another famous actor, Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1852-1917).

John Halifax, Gentleman (Fountain Inn)

Novel by Dinah Maria Craik (1826-1887) published in 1856. When Robert Halifax arrives, Ben Brown says "John Halifax was a gentleman; what does Robert Halifax look like?". Grace completely misses the reference and answers "Well, if you know his brother..."

Kirkcudbright (Fountain Inn)

Scottish town on the Solway Firth, birthplace of George Crane. His father still sends him tobacco from the town.

Kirkstall, Grace (Fountain Inn)

Secretera of W.Rage and one of the central characters.

Lambert (Fountain Inn)

Butler to Colonel Hasted-Halifax.

Lee, Sir Athelstan (Fountain Inn)

Founder and proprietor of Granada Finance Corporation, a hire purchase firm which occupies a large part of Fountain Inn.

Liberty's (Fountain Inn)

London department store. "If you live in the country and want a material matched at Liberty’s—send us the material and we will do it" is one of the claims of General Factotums.

Little Women (Fountain Inn)

Popular novel by Louisa M. Alcott, the only book that Helen finds to read at the Bull Hotel.

Logan, Miss Victoria (Fountain Inn)

The lady in purple who accosts Grace and George beside the fountain at the Inn. She is a member of the Society for Progressive Rehabilitation, but has suspicions about its finances which she unwisely shares with the lawyer Spenser. She is kidnapped and held first at Hormenden, later at Cerig Gallant.

Lombroso, Cesare (1836-1909) (Fountain Inn)

Italian criminologist, proponent of the theory that criminality was inheritied and that criminals could be recognised by physical characteristics. "Helen knew all about detection. Some of her details were hazy, but in broad outline she knew about fingerprints, poisons, the seven approved methods of disposing of bodies, the permutations possible in the locked-room crime, the credence to be given to Lombroso ..."

Lorora (Fountain Inn)

Boat on which Grace's brother is a crew member.

Marley's Midgets (Fountain Inn)

Imaginary theatre company that Hindle's son Bert is touring with.

Martin Rattler (Fountain Inn)

Adventure story set in the Brazilian jungle by R.M.Ballantyne (1825-1894). Helen thinks of it as she crawls through the slime on her way to the island at Harden Hall. She resents it being classified as a boys' adventure story.

Medici (Fountain Inn)

Company which publishes art reproductions. Mr. Tomms has two of their prints on his wall.

Mingels, Ida (Fountain Inn)

Servant of Miss Harrington, writer of the torn-up letter.

Mr. Midshipman Easy (Fountain Inn)

1836 adventure story by Captain Marryat. Helen thinks of it as she crawls through the slime on her way to the island at Harden Hall.

Muni, Paul (1895-1967) (Fountain Inn)

Film star, much admired by Grace Kirkstall.

Music of the Spheres (Fountain Inn)

Topic of an lecture by Snelgrove, leader of the Bristol branch of the Society for Progressive Rehabilitation. Originally associated with Pythagoras, it describes the numerical relationship between the notional spheres in which the sun and planets orbit.

Neptune (Fountain Inn)

Roman sea god. There is a statue of Neptune with trident at the top of the fountain at Fountain Inn.

Paddy (Fountain Inn)

Theatrical friend if Ben Brown who helps him with his disguise.

Parcross, Mr. (Fountain Inn)

Sole London employee of Eastern Imports Ltd.

Pilchard, Harold (Fountain Inn)

Butcher who is wooing Grace's mother, but who will not manage to marry her until Grace has found a husband.

Pilcher's Warehouse (Fountain Inn)

Where in Wapping the Lorora discharges her cargo of oranges.

Rab el Tingra (Fountain Inn)

Indian expected to visit the Society for Progressive Rehabilitation.

Rackman, Leader (Fountain Inn)

Leader of the Chelmsford group of the Society for Progressive Rehabilitation.

Rage, W. (Fountain Inn)

Third floor tenant of Fountain Inn. Describing himself as "investment specialist", he vanishes, having defaulted on rent and salary payments, leaving Grace without a job at the beginning of the story.

Raikes, Mrs. (Fountain Inn)

Predecessor of Mrs. Dalby as charwoman for Miss Logan. She had been sacked for smoking, and this leads to Helen Brown's suspicions being aroused when she sees a cigarette end in the house.

Selfacre Hall (Fountain Inn)

Address of "Lord Somebody" whose son has to be brought back from Paris by Ben Brown.

Smith (Fountain Inn)

Assistant at Craddock and crouch.

Snelgrove (Fountain Inn)

Leader of the Bristol branch of the Society for Progresive Rehabilitation, deliverer of the talk on The Music of the Spheres.

Society for Progressive Rehabilitation. (Fountain Inn)

Second floor tenants of Fountain Inn. Mystical association which preaches that the soul develops through seven stages. Mr. Tomms is the founder. It has branches in many towns and several thousand members.

Somerset House (Fountain Inn)

Where Ben Brown goes to look up the will of Colonel Hasted-Halifax.

Southampton Row (Fountain Inn)

London Street close to High Holborn where Grace signs on with an employment agency after losing her job with W.Rage.

Spenser, Mr. Ederley (Fountain Inn)

Miss Logan's lawyer, partner in the firm Spenser and Trout.

Tartan Mixture (Fountain Inn)

The brand of pipe tobacco that George Crane smokes.

Taunton (Fountain Inn)

Address of Ida Mingels

Theosophical Bookshop (Fountain Inn)

Where Grace is sent to collect information about the Society fro Progressive Rehabilitation. The bookshop is now in Gloucester Place, off Marylebone Road, and I presume it was there when Canning wrote.

Tomms, Alistair (Fountain Inn)

Founder and president of the Society for Progressive Rehabilitation. He is also a confidence trickster with previous convictions in Toronto.

Toronto (Fountain Inn)

Miss Logan claims to have a sister in Toronto who has recognised Mr. Tomms's photograph, but Mr. Tomms denies having ever been in Toronto, though Miss Logan has found out from a detective agency about his record.

Tree (Fountain Inn)

See Irving.

United Dairies (Fountain Inn)

Grace passes a United Dairies delivery man on her way to work.

Walter, Mr. (Fountain Inn)

The accountant who collects rents from the tenants at Fountain Inn.

Zoo (Fountain Inn)

Ben goes to the Zoo to sit and think. He also has to escort two boys to the Tower of London and then to the Zoo as one of General Factortum's ordinary commissions.

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