Two years or so after working on scenic decoration for The Master of Ballentrae, mega-and-multi-talented visual artist Olga Lehmann painted the wonderful mural below for Errol’s place in Port Antonio, The Titchfield Hotel. Any chance it has survived?? What a treasure it would be!
[Click on Photo to Enlarge]
— Tim
Lollie
September 13, 2013 at 9:49 am
What a wonderful painting! I hope it is still around.Is it of Captain Cook? or the Bounty crew? That’s a great pic of Errol too.
I like how he wanted to call his Hotel ‘Flynn’s Inn’,that’s one of the things I love about him too,how very funny he is. :)
Tim
September 13, 2013 at 10:28 am
“Flynn’s Inn” is a great name, isn’t it, Lollie?! I read that Errol’s Mother, who was evidently running the hotel quite substantially at some point, disapproved of the name, and it was not therefore ever officially used.
Regarding the mural, I’ve read two accounts of what it depicts – that it’s either a history of multiple European explorations of Jamaica (including Captain Bligh and others), or that it depicts the landing of Bligh only. Some believe it was destroyed in a fire, some believe it was not:
P.S. I haven’t looked at the mural closely, but I wouldn’t be surprised (and it would be very cool) if Errol himself is somehow included or alluded to in the mural!
Lollie
September 13, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Oh that really is interesting,and yes that would be terrific if one of the characters in the mural is of Errol himself.
lol,I remember reading that story about ‘Flynn’s Inn’ & Errol’s Mother not approving too,and she told him to stop being ‘so crass’ or something,and that later Errol wrote about it in his journal complaining about her.She never seemed to give the poor bugger a break.
Tim
September 13, 2013 at 1:52 pm
How awful it is that the relationship was so bad, Lollie. I’d never guess from the photo of Lily and Baby Errol below. He did, though, inherit from her a great love and talent for all things aquatic. As great a swimmer as Errol was, he said she was even better, even on the beaches of Port Antonio.
[img]http://www.utas.edu.au/library/exhibitions/flynn_and_flynn/images/marelle_errol.jpg[/img]
timerider
September 13, 2013 at 3:02 pm
Yes! His Mum was an avid swimmer, not surprising because of Midshipman Young marrying an Islander woman.The islands and sea are really in his blood made of sea water! LOL! Of course the Aussie in him and the Irish seaman blood counts also!
It seems that I’ve seen that mural somewhere before but cannot place it. Oh well gettin old, LOL! Flynn’s Inn! I like that!!
Tim
September 13, 2013 at 3:32 pm
Absolutely Timerider! His soul was of the sea – and it was a great soul.
[img]http://resources2.news.com.au/images/2009/06/19/1225737/536826-errol-flynn-turns-100.jpg[/img]
Lollie
September 15, 2013 at 11:02 am
Yes it is very sad that he didn’t have a closer relationship with his Mum,for whatever the reason was.He must have been very lonely being left at boarding schools and relatives places when he was young,it is a real shame that his parents weren’t around for him more.
What a cute,chubby little baby he was! :)