Disney and a magical myth
Was Walt Disney’s castle inspired by a trip to Cyprus? Mediterranean guide books will tell you that Walt disney based either his Cinderella or Snow White castle on St Hilarion Castle, which sits atop the Kyrenia mountain range in northern Cyprus.
it’s the best-preserved ruin of three former strongholds in the range, fortified in the late 11th century, the others being Kantara and Buffavento.
the earliest references to it can be found in contemporary accounts of richard Lionheart’s campaign in the island in 1191. With its system of three sets of defensive walls and towers, topped with the redoubt, the castle certainly has a fairytale look.
Writer rose Macaulay called it ‘a picturebook castle for elf-kings’. the idea that disney was inspired by St Hilarion seems to have begun following the publication of Cyprus — a Portrait and appreciation (1952), by Sir Harry Luke, which says: ‘it is a matter of opinion which of the three castles that crown the most spectacular peaks of the Kyrenia range is the most beautiful.
‘in site as well as in design all three are too fantastic and ethereal to seem anything but castles out of a fairy tale. Yet it is difficult to imagine even the best architects of fairyland producing anything half so good. no wonder Walt disney sought in them his architectural inspiration for Snow White and the Seven dwarfs.’
Just where this Old etonian with a doctorate from trinity College, Oxford, and former Commissioner to Famagusta in Cyprus, received this information is uncertain. it is almost certainly incorrect. there’s no evidence that disney ever travelled to Cyprus.
it’s well established that both Cinderella’s and Snow White’s castle were based on famous european castles. the clifftop setting is reminiscent of ‘Mad’ King Ludwig ii of Bavaria’s neuschwanstein Castle, built between 1869 and 1886 to ‘embody the true spirit of the medieval German castle’.
Veteran disney imagineer Herb ryman, Q : Could the Cobden-Chevalier Agreement of 1860, between Britain and France, be regarded as a forerunner of the Common Market?
Paul Elliott, Kidderminster, Worcs. Q : Has there ever been an expedition to find Sir Francis Drake’s coffin?
David Knowles, Sutton Coldfield, W. Mids. Q : Were the Napoleonic Empress Josephine and her friend Therese Cabarrus in the habit of putting on naked dancing displays or was this an invention of British cartoonist Gillray?
Vicky Finch, Long Sutton, Lincs. influential in the design of both disney castles, further referenced Chateau de Chenonceau and Chambord in the the French Loire, the alcazar of Segovia, Spain and the Moszna Castle in Poland.
George Mostyn, Caerphilly, South Wales. Several professional snooker players can make vital shots with either hand. Are there, or have there ever been, any top-ranked tennis players who can serve and volley using either hand? Giorgio de Stefani (1904-92) was an ambidextrous player playing for italy between the wars. While he never went beyond the quarter-finals in a grand slam, he was known as Fred Perry’s ‘bogeyman’, beating him on several occasions.
Perry struggled to cope with de Stefani’s tactic of swapping hands. He’d even do this to alter the angle when serving, though he favoured his right hand and played golf right-handed. He once asked for permission to use two racquets simultaneously, one in each hand, but it was banned in 1931 by the iLtF, the sport’s governing body.
H. N. Smith, Nottingham. Beverley Fleitz, of the U.S., beaten finalist in the 1955 Wimbledon Ladies’ Singles final was ambidextrous. She played a forehand on both sides, switching the racket from hand to hand as necessary.
also John Bromwich, of australia, who lost the 1948 Wimbledon Men’s Singles final, but was several times doubles/mixed doubles
champion, served right-handed, played a left-handed forehand and a double-handed backhand on his right side.
Norman Wallace, Church Stretton, Shropshire. Russian evgenia Koulikovskaya reached a career high singles ranking of 91 in 2003. a doubles specialist, she received some media attention for her unusual backhand — or lack thereof. She was, in fact, ambidextrous and played with two forehands, switching hands depending on where the ball was going. She served with her left hand and hit overheads with either hand. Kath Sampson, Luton, Beds. When and why was the term ‘Bomber County’ used to describe Lincolnshire? Further to the earlier answer, the Lincoln bomber was, in fact, the successor to the Lancaster and was, basically, larger with more powerful engines and much improved defensive armament, the 0.303 in machine guns replaced with 0.5 in guns in the rear and mid-upper turrets, with some variants having 20 mm cannon in the mid-upper.
John Inkpen, Teynham, Kent.
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