Drakeshead

Drakeshead is a place in Devon, in the West Country, whose importance in the novel comes from its connection to Robbie Dexter and Rachel Elliot’s journey to find him. First heard in a television interview, the name gives Rachel a practical lead and makes a former relationship suddenly reachable again.

Location and identification

Robbie mentions that he has farming acquaintances in Drakeshead who can look after his creatures from time to time. Rachel remembers his words and searches an atlas: Drakeshead is in Devon. She recalls that he had previously been in Wiltshire and concludes that he has hardly moved at all. The place is thus introduced through the modest geography of Robbie’s working life, rather than as an independently described landscape.

Rachel’s search and arrival

Once she has identified Drakeshead, Rachel uses directory enquiries to seek Robbie under his full name, Robert Dexter, supplying his middle name, Timothy, and the location in the West Country. The call connects her directly with him. Later, following his directions, she turns off the motorway and navigates narrow lanes toward Station Cottage. A hand-painted sign, half-hidden by brambles, marks the final approach; beyond it, the cottage comes into view, and Rachel parks behind Robbie’s mud-splattered van.

Narrative significance

Drakeshead turns recognition into movement. A fleeting television appearance first prompts Rachel to remember Robbie’s voice and their former intimacy; the place-name lets her act on that recollection, converting a distant glimpse into a face-to-face reunion. Its understated rural setting also frames the emotional contrast of the journey: Rachel approaches a real cottage and a familiar person while feeling, as she reaches the destination, as though she has entered a film set without a script.