Malcolm Saville was a British author of children’s books, best known for his “Lone Pine” series of adventure novels set in the countryside. Although he did not live in Rye, he spent many holidays there and used the area as a setting for his books, specifically The Gay Dolphin Adventure, The Elusive Grasshopper, Treasure at Amorys and Rye Royal.
There is a thriving and active Malcolm Saville Society and also a Facebook group: Not just the Lone Pine Club (for all Malcolm Saville fans).
To honour Saville’s contribution to literature and his connection to the town, a blue plaque was installed at The Hope Anchor Hotel in 2023. The plaque reads: “The location of the Gay Dolphin Hotel, made famous by Malcolm Saville in his Lone Pine series of children’s adventure books, written between 1943 and 1978” and was unveiled by Malcolm’s daughter-in-law, Mrs Pippa Saville, who resides in the town which he loved so much!
