Goldeneye (estate)
Encyclopedia
Goldeneye was the name given by Ian Fleming
to his estate in Oracabessa
, Jamaica
. He purchased the land next door to Golden Clouds
estate and built his house on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a private beach. The original house was a modest structure consisting of three bedrooms and a swimming pool. Fleming's coterie of friends who visited him at Goldeneye included actors, musicians and filmmakers.
Fleming claimed a number of origins for the name of the estate including Carson McCullers
' Reflections in a Golden Eye
and Operation Goldeneye
, a contingency plan Fleming himself developed during World War II in case of a Nazi invasion of Gibraltar
through Spain
.
Fleming created James Bond
here and wrote many of his fourteen James Bond novels here. A number of the Bond movies, including Live and Let Die
and Dr. No
, were filmed near the estate. In 1956 British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden and his wife Clarissa spent a month at "Goldeneye" after Eden's health collapsed in the wake of the Suez Crisis
. The attendant publicity helped to boost Fleming's writing career.
In 1976, 12 years after Ian Fleming's death, the property was sold to reggae star Bob Marley
. Marley sold the estate in 1977 to Island Records
founder Chris Blackwell
. Eighteen years later, the estate's name would be the title of the seventeenth James Bond film
, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan
as 007.
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
to his estate in Oracabessa
Oracabessa
Oracabessa is a small town in St Mary, Jamaica east of Ocho Rios. Its population was 4,108 in 2009.Lit in the afternoons by an apricot light that may have inspired its Spanish name Oracabeza, or "Golden Head", it is a friendly town with a covered produce market and a few shops and bars...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. He purchased the land next door to Golden Clouds
Golden Clouds
Golden Clouds was the name given by the first female US ambassador, Ruth Bryan Owen, to her house in Oracabessa, Jamaica. It is situated between Goldeneye , where Ian Fleming wrote many of the James Bond novels, and Noel Coward's Firefly Estate. The ocean front 9-bedroom mansion is located on of...
estate and built his house on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a private beach. The original house was a modest structure consisting of three bedrooms and a swimming pool. Fleming's coterie of friends who visited him at Goldeneye included actors, musicians and filmmakers.
Fleming claimed a number of origins for the name of the estate including Carson McCullers
Carson McCullers
Carson McCullers was an American writer. She wrote novels, short stories, and two plays, as well as essays and some poetry. Her first novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter explores the spiritual isolation of misfits and outcasts of the South...
' Reflections in a Golden Eye
Reflections in a Golden Eye (novel)
Reflections in a Golden Eye is a 1941 novel by American author Carson McCullers.It first appeared in Harper's Bazaar in 1940, serialized in the October–November issues. The book was published by Houghton Mifflin on February 14, 1941, to mostly poor reviews...
and Operation Goldeneye
Operation Goldeneye
Operation Goldeneye was an Allied plan during World War II, that monitored Spain after the Spanish Civil War. The goal was to ensure that Britain would still be able to communicate with Gibraltar in the event Spain joined the Axis Powers. Additionally, it was a plan for the defence of Gibraltar had...
, a contingency plan Fleming himself developed during World War II in case of a Nazi invasion of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
through Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Fleming created James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
here and wrote many of his fourteen James Bond novels here. A number of the Bond movies, including Live and Let Die
Live and Let Die (film)
Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
and Dr. No
Dr. No (film)
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film, starring Sean Connery; it is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R...
, were filmed near the estate. In 1956 British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden and his wife Clarissa spent a month at "Goldeneye" after Eden's health collapsed in the wake of the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
. The attendant publicity helped to boost Fleming's writing career.
In 1976, 12 years after Ian Fleming's death, the property was sold to reggae star Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
. Marley sold the estate in 1977 to Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
founder Chris Blackwell
Chris Blackwell
Christopher Percy Gordon "Chris" Blackwell is a British record producer and businessman, who was the founder of Island Records, acknowledged as the most successful and groundbreaking independent record company in history. Blackwell has been a music industry mogul for over fifty years...
. Eighteen years later, the estate's name would be the title of the seventeenth James Bond film
GoldenEye
GoldenEye is the seventeenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Martin Campbell and is the first film in the series not to take story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming...
, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
as 007.
Three reasons that inspired the name
- A tribute to the novel Reflections in a Golden EyeReflections in a Golden Eye (novel)Reflections in a Golden Eye is a 1941 novel by American author Carson McCullers.It first appeared in Harper's Bazaar in 1940, serialized in the October–November issues. The book was published by Houghton Mifflin on February 14, 1941, to mostly poor reviews...
(1941) by Carson McCullersCarson McCullersCarson McCullers was an American writer. She wrote novels, short stories, and two plays, as well as essays and some poetry. Her first novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter explores the spiritual isolation of misfits and outcasts of the South... - A remembrance of Operation GoldeneyeOperation GoldeneyeOperation Goldeneye was an Allied plan during World War II, that monitored Spain after the Spanish Civil War. The goal was to ensure that Britain would still be able to communicate with Gibraltar in the event Spain joined the Axis Powers. Additionally, it was a plan for the defence of Gibraltar had...
- A natural consequence of the fact that the estate rose over the bay Oracabessa (golden head in EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
), than a golden eye over a golden head