Hello everyone and Happy New Year.
Thanks to Karel who pointed me toward these photos from thorntonbooks.co.uk. All copyright is held byThortnton Books.
March 2000 – the Inspector Morse film crew invades Thornton’s bookshop to film a scene for the last episode of this famous TV series, The Remorseful Day.
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These are wonderful photos especially because they are taken in this book store. As a lover of independent book stores, wherever I go I seek one out and browse to my heart’s content. They offer so much, classics, first editions, out of print treasures and more. A tragedy most of them have disappeared. What a thrill it would have been to have been in one when someone like John Thaw walks in!
Great to see these, reminding us of the connection to the equally wonderful books. Post arrived today on my birthday too! My daughter will be based in Oxford for another six months and hope to visit if/when restrictions lift. If there are any specific images sought, please advise and we will try to capture some.
Cannot imagine how you dealt with the sadness and challenges of 2020 Chris, Wishing you and your family physical and mental health, happiness and success in 2021. Looking forward to continued Morse, Lewis and Endeavour gems!
Hello Mandy and welcome to my website. I hope you get the chance to visit your daughter in Oxford. Thank you for your kind thoughts. Take care.
Just thought it was worth pointing out, this very same building, which housed Thornton’s bookshop on Broad Street, Oxford, shown by the photographs above, that was used for filming during the final Inspector Morse episode, in the year 2000, is now a 4-star hotel, named “The Buttery”. On Google Maps, the hotel is described “as simple rooms in a townhouse setting”. There is also another description, which provides a little more detail:
“In the historic centre of Oxford, surrounded by university buildings, this traditional townhouse hotel is a 2-minute walk from the Sheldonian Theatre and Museum of the History of Science, and 11 minutes’ walk from Oxford railway station”.
“The modest rooms all include en suite bathrooms, and have flat-screen TVs, tea and coffeemaking facilities, and free Wi-Fi. Some retain original features, such as fireplaces. Rooms are stair-access only”.
James, thank you for the very sad ( in my opinion) update on that location. Even, and perhaps more so, in the US this is the fate of these wonderful bookstores. When I was living in Georgia, I visited an incredible bookstore in Elijay, Ga. that contained more antique literature that the eyes could take in. It truly was one of a kind. I hope it is still there but I wouldn’t hang my hopes on it.
Hi Kathleen. I wholeheartedly agree with you. It is very sad, that so many small independent retailers, be it bookshops, groceries, butchers, post offices, and ironmongers or hardware shops, have closed over the past decade or two. That is without mentioning Morse’s favourite community focal point, the local pub, as regrettably, vast numbers have closed in Britain, during recent years. This was all before the Covid calamity struck the world, thus unfortunately, things have only deteriorated much further over the past few months. It is therefore, very disappointing to see the fabric of local communities lost, or at least disappearing before our eyes.
Sorry to be depressing, and I will say no more on that subject. Happy New Year Kathleen, and let’s hope for a happier and healthier 2021.
Thornton’s bookshop closed down in 2002 but they still sell books online.
I’ve so enjoyed your posts this past year. I love the glimpses into the past with the magazine articles, and I love the behind the scenes pictures. As a US viewer, I definitely appreciate the missing scenes. These missing scenes can really fill in the missing pieces for us in the US.
You’re very welcome Michelle. I have a few more magazine articles plus further deleted scenes from the Lewis series that I will post soon.
Wow. As a new (Canadian) reader to your site, but a longtime fan of the Morse series, I never expected to find such a treasure trove of information. And now my family and I have so much to catch up on! Wish I had thought to look up my favourite episodes earlier. Thank you for everything you have done to keep Morse and Lewis fans informed, entertained and inspired.
Thank you Fatima for such lovely and kind comments. I hope you find lots of things of interest on my website.
Why did the format of the website change for the last few episodes? I thought it was far more informative before. I have been introducing my Spanish wife to Morse and it was a great resource – particularly the Miscellaneous and Plot sections. It was a disappointment to see the format changed.
Hello Richard. The post you have commented on is not a review post. I have not as yet reviewed the episode The Remorseful Day.