At the time I visited the house was owned by Christopher Blackwell, the son of Fleming's mistress Blanch Blackwell, said to have been the person from whom Fleming based his Goldfinger character "Pussy Galore."
Chris founded Island Records, discovered Bob Marley and introduced Jamaican music and reggae to England and the world.
When Fleming died his widow refused to sell the property to Blackwell, so he reportedly had Marley buy it in his stead and later took possession himself.
When I arrived I found the gates to Goldeneye invitingly open, as did James and Mary Bond when they stopped by unexpected in the winter of 1964, shortly before Fleming died.
There were a few servant women around who were washing and drying their clothes on the line, and they permitted me to walk around the grounds and take some photos.
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