For this humble scribe, the ultimate experience occurred when Fred and Chris allowed me to hold the original manuscript of Sir Arthur's "The Exploration of Space." My hands fairly trembled with excitement as I thumbed through a few pages, and discovered to my great amazement that it was *hand-written.* Sir Arthur has the most illegible handwriting in the world, but there could be no doubt that this was his writing, and this was *the book.* I quickly handed the folder back, fearing that I might somehow damage what, to many fans and admirers, is as close to a sacred object as any batch of paper can become.
The kindnesses continued. Beyond the stream of tea, coffee and conversation, we were the recipient of unsolicited benefactions. When we realized almost immediately upon arrival that we had taken our last camera shot, Fred and Chris rummaged through several drawers until they produced an unused roll of 35mm film that was promptly bestowed on us (you, too, should be grateful, for most of the photos on this page were taken with this roll). Also, because my wife speaks and reads Japanese, Fred handed her Japanese-translation copies of the compilation "The Sentinel" and "The Ghost from the Grand Banks."
"As it is, we have far more copies than we need," Fred said, telling us to make good use of them. Similarly, an "extra" copy of Piers Bizony's 1994 book, "2001: Filming the future," was added to our collection.
We felt honored and utterly surprised by these unexpected gifts. I'd also felt stupid about not visiting a bank ahead of time to cash in a few traveler's checks. The people at our B&B that night wanted to be paid up-front, and I hadn't enough cash on hand. I suggested that we leave to obtain some cash before the banks closed that afternoon, but Brian volunteered to drive me into Taunton and return me to Dene Court. That extended our visit by more than two hours, which Fred said he would relish.
These circumstances also meant that we would arrive later than expected at our next stop, near Salisbury. Fred allowed me the use of his private office so I could phone ahead. There, on Fred's desk, was a special video telephone that permits him a direct link to Sri Lanka and his brother. I barely resisted the urge to punch the buttons that would connect me to Sir Arthur.
As I'd suspected, Fred Clarke is a compelling man in his own right, a writer/publisher who supervises the Clarke family's Rocket Publishing Co. and has produced his own nonfiction. Our conversation ended with gifts of three other books -- Nora Clarke's account of her family's farm life, "My Four Feet on the Ground," and Fred's books, "Four Heads in the Air" (his memories of boyhood at Ballifants) and "The Road to Spiderpore," which relates his World War II experiences in the Burma campaign. Naturally, none of it is science fiction or even related to science -- although Fred has written a book about engineering -- but for insight into the Clarke family and Sir Arthur's upbringing, these are fascinating reading.
Before we had entered Dene Court, Brian had pointed out a huge mass of metal in the front drive. It was a large, unused satellite dish that had been donated to the Foundation for use as the planned Clarke Centre develops.
At left, the Clarke
family at Ballifants
in the late 1920s.
Clockwise from top
are Arthur, Nora,
Michael, Mary
and Fred.
To that end, Brian and I briefly discussed a plan I've discussed earlier on the Clarke mailing list. The idea is that a gathering of Sir Arthur's fans would take place in the Minehead-Taunton area on the occasion of the turn of the millennium (the *real* one) as 2000 ends and 2001 begins. By then, the donated satellite dish will be mounted and a link would be established that will allow visitors to the Foundation to engage in a real-time video chat with Sir Arthur. The idea is to create an event that would draw attention to Sir Arthur, the Foundation and the plans for the Centre.
The future site of the Clarkives is still in negotiation, but plans are starting to gel and a number of U.K. companies appear poised to assist financially. There's no question that the more public attention drawn to the plans for the proposed ACC Centre, the better. Dene Court isn't necessarily the best, most accessible or even the most permanent possible site for the memorabilia associated with Sir Arthur, and the proposed Centre could serve as a springboard for the development and encouragement of young minds who want to take Sir Arthur's ideas into the 21st century.
Grateful for our time at Dene Court and eager to renew the experience, we left Somerset for points east, London and eventually the United States. We hope that, when the end of 2000 arrives, we will be on hand again to greet the new year, the new millennium, and honor the Clarke family for all that it has done -- and is doing -- to make the future brighter and more hopeful for our planet, and our species.
At right, the Clarke siblings on the porch at Dene Court in the early 1980s, from the cover of Fred Clarke's "Four Heads in the Air." From left: Fred, Mary, Arthur and Michael.
Fred suggested we pose for a photo with him,
also on the porch at Dene Court. From left: Fred Clarke,
Katari Brown, John Sherwood and Nathan Sherwood.
(Photo by Brian Thomas, 1999)
