Angel Pavement
Encyclopedia
Angel Pavement is a novel by J. B. Priestley
, published in 1930 after the enormous success of The Good Companions
. It is often paired with English Journey
(1934).
It is a social panorama of the city of London
, seen largely through the eyes of the employees of the firm Twigg & Dersingham, on the first floor of No. 8, Angel Pavement. Their lives are changed after the arrival of a mysterious Mr Golspie, who assures the future of their veneer
-and-inlay
company through imports from the Baltic
. The story is set against the background of the Great Depression
.
Dedicated to C. S. Evans, his editor at Heinemann, it was begun in October 1929, worked on in London and then at Kingswear
in Devon
, and completed in April 1930. It sold nearly as well as its predecessor. Priestley's next novel was the relatively unambitious Faraway (1932); most of his energies in the 1930s were devoted to plays.
The first chapter contains a detailed description of a fictional street in the EC postcode area called Angel Pavement, and the employees at Twigg & Dersingham. Business has not been good, and Mr Dersingham is trying to decide whom to sack. Mr Golspie arrives with a dispatch case containing a sample book of veneers and inlays, and asks to see Mr Dersingham. After a short delay, he is admitted to Mr Dersingham's office, and there is a long discussion, after which both men leave mysteriously. Mr Smeeth is baffled, especially when Mr Dersingham rings up and tells him to sack their senior traveller, Mr Goath.
The second chapter introduces the tobacconist T. Benenden, and shows Mr Smeeth's family and home life. The next morning, Dersingham still has not returned to the office, and during lunch Mr Smeeth hears an unpleasant story about the failure of an umbrella firm called Claridge & Molton. He wonders if Mr Dersingham's absence indicates that they are all about to lose their jobs. But at five, Mr Dersingham returns and informs Mr Smeeth that the newcomer has offered a cheap supply of veneers from the Baltic, and their immediate future is assured. The next evening, Mr Golspie takes Mr Smeeth out for a drink at the White Horse, and tells him he ought to ask for a rise.
A new typist is employed, Poppy Sellers, and Mr Dersingham invites Mr Golspie to a black tie
dinner party at his home. The party is not a success, firstly because of the incompetence of the servants and secondly because of the unexpected arrival of the daughter, Lena Golspie, who quarrels with Miss Verever and Mrs Dersingham.
The fourth chapter depicts one of the miserable weekends of the lonely young clerk, Mr Turgis, who wanders around London taking in any amusements he can afford. On the Monday after, he sees Lena Golspie for the first time, and is smitten. The fifth chapter depicts the narrow world of the typist, Miss Matfield, and her disastrous date with Norman Birtley, which is enlivened only by an accidental meeting with Mr Golspie, who gives her a box of chocolates on a whim. Later on Mr Golspie seems even more glamorous, when, shortly before leaving for a short trip, he asks her to take down letters on board the moored steamship Lemmala, and pours her some vodka.
Mr Smeeth obtains a rise in salary, and after talking to Benenden, he celebrates by going to a concert at Queen's Hall
, where he enjoys Brahms's First Symphony
. On returning home he finds out that his daughter Edna has been sacked, but he is not terribly dismayed; he admits to his wife that he has been given a rise, something which he had been planning to keep secret. On Saturday night his wife's cousin, Fred Mitty, and his family, arrive for a party, and Mr Smeeth quickly comes to loathe them after they wreck the parlour and damage some of his clothes.
Mr. Turgis has become obsessed with Lena Golspie, and jumps on a chance to see her again when he delivers some money from her father. She is bored, and takes him out to the cinema, flirting with him afterwards. They go on a second date, but she does not turn up to a third date, and he is devastated. Mr Golspie returns shortly before Christmas, goes away again on Christmas Eve, and returns again in time for New Year's Eve, on which he contrives to take Miss Matfield out for the night. They begin to go on dates secretly.
Mr. Smeeth falls out with his wife, and is later disturbed by the departure of the office boy Stanley and a road accident involving the tobacconist Benenden. His son George seems to be employed by crooks, and Mr Golspie makes an arrangement with Mr Dersingham which strikes Smeeth as suspicious. He goes to visit Benenden at the hospital.
Mr Turgis is consumed with jealousy, and one Friday night he turns up unannounced at Lena's home and fights with her. Thinking he has strangled her, he wanders at random through London before arriving at Twigg & Dersingham, where Mr Golspie and Miss Matfield are "working late". He admits everything in despair, and they drive to Carrington Villas, but Lena is not there — she has run off. Mr Golspie sacks Mr Turgis. He returns to his rented room and considers suicide. The next morning, Poppy Sellers arrives to deliver his last pay packet, and they have a long talk which reconciles him to the idea of spending time with her.
In Chapter 11, Mr. Dersingham breaks the news to Mr Smeeth that Mr. Golspie has swindled them all and fled; the firm faces inevitable bankruptcy very soon. Mr. Dersingham returns home, obviously tipsy in front of their friends, and his wife is infuriated, turning panicky when she hears the news of the ruin. Mr. Smeeth returns home, and finding the Mittys there, throws them out. The epilogue depicts the unabashed Golspies on their way to South America.
produced a television adaptation of the novel, featuring the following cast:
recorded the single Baby, You've Gotta Stay for Fontana (TF1059) and in 1969 the album Maybe Tomorrow for Morgan Studios. The title track was a cover of the song by Tom Evans
of The Iveys who later changed their name to Badfinger
.
The band toured for six months in Mexico
in the late sixties and after that nearly took up an option to tour the US West Coast, but encountered visa problems. Their songs were re-released, after nearly forty years, on CD following a vinyl release a few years earlier.
J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
, published in 1930 after the enormous success of The Good Companions
The Good Companions
The Good Companions is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley.Written in 1929 , it focuses on the trials and tribulations of a concert party in England between World War I and World War II. It is arguably Priestley's most famous novel, and the work which established him as a national figure...
. It is often paired with English Journey
English Journey
English Journey is a work of non-fiction by J.B. Priestley published in 1934.Commissioned by publisher Victor Gollancz to write a study of contemporary England, Priestley recounts his travels around England in 1933. He shares his observations on the social problems he witnesses, and appeals for...
(1934).
It is a social panorama of the city of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, seen largely through the eyes of the employees of the firm Twigg & Dersingham, on the first floor of No. 8, Angel Pavement. Their lives are changed after the arrival of a mysterious Mr Golspie, who assures the future of their veneer
Wood veneer
In woodworking, veneer refers to thin slices of wood, usually thinner than 3 mm , that are typically glued onto core panels to produce flat panels such as doors, tops and panels for cabinets, parquet floors and parts of furniture. They are also used in marquetry...
-and-inlay
Inlay
Inlay is a decorative technique of inserting pieces of contrasting, often coloured materials into depressions in a base object to form patterns or pictures that normally are flush with the matrix. In a wood matrix, inlays commonly use wood veneers, but other materials like shells, mother-of-pearl,...
company through imports from the Baltic
Baltic states
The term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
. The story is set against the background of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
Dedicated to C. S. Evans, his editor at Heinemann, it was begun in October 1929, worked on in London and then at Kingswear
Kingswear
Kingswear is a village and civil parish in the South Hams area of the English county of Devon. The village is located on the east bank of the tidal River Dart, close to the river's mouth and opposite the small town of Dartmouth...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, and completed in April 1930. It sold nearly as well as its predecessor. Priestley's next novel was the relatively unambitious Faraway (1932); most of his energies in the 1930s were devoted to plays.
Plot summary
The prologue depicts the arrival in London of Mr Golspie, who has come by steamship from an unnamed Baltic country. He discusses his immediate plans with the crew.The first chapter contains a detailed description of a fictional street in the EC postcode area called Angel Pavement, and the employees at Twigg & Dersingham. Business has not been good, and Mr Dersingham is trying to decide whom to sack. Mr Golspie arrives with a dispatch case containing a sample book of veneers and inlays, and asks to see Mr Dersingham. After a short delay, he is admitted to Mr Dersingham's office, and there is a long discussion, after which both men leave mysteriously. Mr Smeeth is baffled, especially when Mr Dersingham rings up and tells him to sack their senior traveller, Mr Goath.
The second chapter introduces the tobacconist T. Benenden, and shows Mr Smeeth's family and home life. The next morning, Dersingham still has not returned to the office, and during lunch Mr Smeeth hears an unpleasant story about the failure of an umbrella firm called Claridge & Molton. He wonders if Mr Dersingham's absence indicates that they are all about to lose their jobs. But at five, Mr Dersingham returns and informs Mr Smeeth that the newcomer has offered a cheap supply of veneers from the Baltic, and their immediate future is assured. The next evening, Mr Golspie takes Mr Smeeth out for a drink at the White Horse, and tells him he ought to ask for a rise.
A new typist is employed, Poppy Sellers, and Mr Dersingham invites Mr Golspie to a black tie
Black tie
Black tie is a dress code for evening events and social functions. For a man, the main component is a usually black jacket, known as a dinner jacket or tuxedo...
dinner party at his home. The party is not a success, firstly because of the incompetence of the servants and secondly because of the unexpected arrival of the daughter, Lena Golspie, who quarrels with Miss Verever and Mrs Dersingham.
The fourth chapter depicts one of the miserable weekends of the lonely young clerk, Mr Turgis, who wanders around London taking in any amusements he can afford. On the Monday after, he sees Lena Golspie for the first time, and is smitten. The fifth chapter depicts the narrow world of the typist, Miss Matfield, and her disastrous date with Norman Birtley, which is enlivened only by an accidental meeting with Mr Golspie, who gives her a box of chocolates on a whim. Later on Mr Golspie seems even more glamorous, when, shortly before leaving for a short trip, he asks her to take down letters on board the moored steamship Lemmala, and pours her some vodka.
Mr Smeeth obtains a rise in salary, and after talking to Benenden, he celebrates by going to a concert at Queen's Hall
Queen's Hall
The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect T.E. Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it was the home of the promenade concerts founded by Robert...
, where he enjoys Brahms's First Symphony
Symphony No. 1 (Brahms)
The Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68, is a symphony written by Johannes Brahms. Brahms spent at least fourteen years completing this work, whose sketches date from 1854. Brahms himself declared that the symphony, from sketches to finishing touches, took 21 years, from 1855 to 1876...
. On returning home he finds out that his daughter Edna has been sacked, but he is not terribly dismayed; he admits to his wife that he has been given a rise, something which he had been planning to keep secret. On Saturday night his wife's cousin, Fred Mitty, and his family, arrive for a party, and Mr Smeeth quickly comes to loathe them after they wreck the parlour and damage some of his clothes.
Mr. Turgis has become obsessed with Lena Golspie, and jumps on a chance to see her again when he delivers some money from her father. She is bored, and takes him out to the cinema, flirting with him afterwards. They go on a second date, but she does not turn up to a third date, and he is devastated. Mr Golspie returns shortly before Christmas, goes away again on Christmas Eve, and returns again in time for New Year's Eve, on which he contrives to take Miss Matfield out for the night. They begin to go on dates secretly.
Mr. Smeeth falls out with his wife, and is later disturbed by the departure of the office boy Stanley and a road accident involving the tobacconist Benenden. His son George seems to be employed by crooks, and Mr Golspie makes an arrangement with Mr Dersingham which strikes Smeeth as suspicious. He goes to visit Benenden at the hospital.
Mr Turgis is consumed with jealousy, and one Friday night he turns up unannounced at Lena's home and fights with her. Thinking he has strangled her, he wanders at random through London before arriving at Twigg & Dersingham, where Mr Golspie and Miss Matfield are "working late". He admits everything in despair, and they drive to Carrington Villas, but Lena is not there — she has run off. Mr Golspie sacks Mr Turgis. He returns to his rented room and considers suicide. The next morning, Poppy Sellers arrives to deliver his last pay packet, and they have a long talk which reconciles him to the idea of spending time with her.
In Chapter 11, Mr. Dersingham breaks the news to Mr Smeeth that Mr. Golspie has swindled them all and fled; the firm faces inevitable bankruptcy very soon. Mr. Dersingham returns home, obviously tipsy in front of their friends, and his wife is infuriated, turning panicky when she hears the news of the ruin. Mr. Smeeth returns home, and finding the Mittys there, throws them out. The epilogue depicts the unabashed Golspies on their way to South America.
Characters
- James Golspie, and his daughter Lena, of 4a Carrington Villas, Maida Vale, W9
- The Dersinghams, of 34a Barkfield Gardens, SW5
- Howard Bromport Dersingham, nephew of the original owner
- Mrs Dersingham, his wife
- Friends of the Dersinghams
- Mr and Mrs Pearson, retired from Singapore (ch. 3 and 11)
- Miss Verever, a distant relation of Mrs Dersingham (ch. 3 and 11)
- Major Trape and Mrs Trape, an estate agent and his wife (ch. 3)
- Agnes, a servant of the Dersinghams (ch. 3)
- The cook employed by the Dersinghams (ch. 3)
- The Smeeths, of 17 Chaucer Road, Stoke Newington, N16
- Herbert Norman Smeeth, the cashier
- Edie Smeeth, his wife
- George (20) and Edna (17), their children
- Friends of the Smeeths
- Fred Mitty, a cousin of Edie who lives in a Northern city
- Mrs Mitty, and the daughter, Dot
- Mr and Mrs Dalby, neighbours from no. 11 (ch. 6)
- Harold Turgis, the young clerk, of 9 Nathaniel Street
- Mr and Mrs Pelumpton, his landlords
- Park, a fellow lodger with socialist views (ch. 4)
- The foreign landlady at Carrington Villas (ch. 7 and 10)
- Stanley Poole, the office boy
- Gregory Thorpe, his replacement (ch. 11)
- Miss Matfield's circle
- Lilian Matfield, the 29-year-old typist, who lives at the Burpenfield Club
- Miss Tattersby, the Secretary at Burpenfield
- Evelyn Ansdell, a friend of Miss Matfield (ch. 5)
- Miss Morrison and Miss Cadnam, other friends who live at Burpenfield
- Miss Kersey, a dreary Burpenfield resident
- Mr Norman Birtley, a young man who goes on dates with Miss Matfield (ch. 5)
- Poppy Sellers, a new typist
- T. Benenden, a tobacconist in Angel Pavement
- Mrs Cross, the cleaner (ch. 1)
- Mr Goath, the salesman (ch. 1)
Television
In December 1957 the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
produced a television adaptation of the novel, featuring the following cast:
- Maurice DenhamMaurice DenhamMaurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
- Mr. Smeeth - Catherine FellerCatherine FellerCatherine Feller is an actor and educator. She is perhaps best known for her role as Oliver Reed's love interest in the Hammer Film Productions' The Curse of the Werewolf . She also appeared in Waltz of the Toreadors with Peter Sellers.Ms...
- Lena Golspie - Thomas GallagherThomas GallagherThomas Gallagher , served as Mayor of Pittsburgh during the transition year of 1959.- Early life :Gallagher was born in Pittsburgh and started his career as a glassblower in the industrial plants of the region...
- Captain - Ursula Jenkins - Edna Smeeth
- Alec McCowenAlec McCowenAlexander Duncan "Alec" McCowen CBE is an English actor. He is known for his work in numerous film and stage productions. He was awarded the CBE in the 1985 New Year's Honours List.-Personal:...
- Turgis - Maureen PryorMaureen PryorMaureen Pryor was an Irish-born English character actress. She appeared on stage, screen and television.-Early life:Maureen Pryor was born Maureen Pook in 1922 in Limerick, Ireland, to a Cockney father and an Irish mother...
- Mrs. Smeeth - Robert Scroggins - Stanley Poole
- Anthony SharpAnthony SharpAnthony Sharp was an English actor cast for roles on television and film principally from the 1950s onwards....
- Mr. Dersingham - Sydney TaflerSydney TaflerSydney Tafler , was a British film and television actor, first appearing in London's West End in 1936, after two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, with Sir Seymour Hicks in The Man in Dress Clothes....
- Mr. Golspie - Margaret TyzackMargaret TyzackMargaret Maud Tyzack, CBE was a British actress.-Early life:Tyzack was born in Essex, England, the daughter of Doris and Thomas Edward Tyzack. She grew up in West Ham...
- Miss Matfield - Robert VaheyRobert VaheyRobert Vahey is a British actor, best known for his role as Bill Sayers in the 1980s television series Howards' Way.-External links:...
- George Smeeth
Pop group
The name Angel Pavement was also used by a UK pop group in the late sixties. The five-piece band from YorkYork
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
recorded the single Baby, You've Gotta Stay for Fontana (TF1059) and in 1969 the album Maybe Tomorrow for Morgan Studios. The title track was a cover of the song by Tom Evans
Tom Evans (musician)
Thomas Evans Jr was a musician who was most notable for his work with the band Badfinger.- Badfinger :In 1969, The Iveys changed their name to Badfinger and Paul McCartney of The Beatles gave the group a boost by offering them his song "Come and Get It" which he produced for the band...
of The Iveys who later changed their name to Badfinger
Badfinger
Badfinger were a British rock band consisting originally of Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins and Tom Evans, active from 1968 to 1983, and evolving from The Iveys, formed by Ham, Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales, in the early 1960s. Joey Molland joined the group in 1969,...
.
The band toured for six months in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in the late sixties and after that nearly took up an option to tour the US West Coast, but encountered visa problems. Their songs were re-released, after nearly forty years, on CD following a vinyl release a few years earlier.
See also
- An English Journey
- Little Man, What Now? by Hans FalladaHans FalladaHans Fallada , born Rudolf Wilhelm Friedrich Ditzen in Greifswald, Germany, was a German writer of the first half of the 20th century. Some of his better known novels include Little Man, What Now? and Every Man Dies Alone...