The Dwelling Place [DVD]

This drama is set in the 1830's it is slow moving yet holds onto ones attention. Six children lose their parents to cholera, the family home is repossessed. The workhouse looms for the children but Cissie, the eldest, is determined to keep the whole family together. They take some possessions out of what was the family home and make for the hills. There they come upon a cave: this will be their dwelling place for the next few years. The two elder boys, 11 and 13 start work down the pit, the two girls become housemaids at different houses. Where Cissie and her siblings live is desolate but they have a friend, Matthew, a carpenter, who helps them to improve their lot, by building an extended wall around the cave and putting a roof over it. One of the boys gets injured, that is the end of the pit for them. Matthew takes him on as an apprentice and finds a job at a flour mill for the other, Matthew is betrothed to the flour mill owners daughter. Lord Fischel is the Lord of the manor and his son, egged on by his sister, rapes Cissie. The Lord comes upon the scene and sends his heir to sea. Cissie is pregnant, the Lord is aware of this and sends his manservant out into the hills to get details of when the baby is due. When the child is born it is a boy, the lord tries to persuade Cissie to allow him to bring up his grandson. She will have non of it. However, through a misdemeanour her sister is in danger of going to prison. There is only one person, Lord Fischel, who can get her off. Cissie can't allow her sister to go to jail so she strikes a bargain with the Lord and allows him to bring up his son's child. It is quite a lengthy story, there is the odd tragedy but it all resolves itself in the end.

If you like stories by Catherine Cookson, buy this DVD. The children play their parts well, but the story is not very likely and so it is not my favourite by this writer.

I like a Katherine Cookson DVD they are easy to follow even when the story weaves in and out of several characters at a time What a woman to have this type of mind I think I have all the DVD.s made now I also send them to my Brother in Namibia. He says there isnt much to do there exept the pub. A night in with a great Katherine Cookson costume drama is a treat for him and his wife. He passes them on to neighbours who are German speakers but understand English well They seem to go the rounds and so he is asked if I have sent any more. Their TV are all American series. The fact that these storys are in a Northumbian dialect is a change for my brother and his friends there.There isnt a review on products like DVDs Anthony Hill

Yet another Catherine Cookson story of a young woman who overcomes the most dreadful obstacles in Victorian England.

great service, would recommend this dvd brilliant story.

very good in deed

Great DVD as good as the book

As with all Catherine Cookson, loved the story.