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Places with literary connections
Generations of writers, playwrights and poets found inspiration in the places where they lived and worked, from houses to gardens and landscapes. We now care for many of these places so you can discover the inspiration behind the words for yourself.
Winter house closures
Some of the places in our care close over the winter months so we can carry out vital conservation work. Please check individual place webpages for up-to-date information on opening times before you visit.
- Bateman’s, East Sussex
- Set within the Sussex Weald, Bateman's provided a sanctuary for Rudyard Kipling. He took inspiration for Puck of Pook's Hill from the hill behind this 17th-century house. Look out for his book-lined study, displayed just as he left it, along with various Persian rugs and artefacts that reflect Kipling's strong ties with India.Explore Bateman's
- Coleridge Cottage, Somerset
- Once home to poet Samuel Coleridge, this 17th-century cottage was where he wrote some of his finest works, including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Kubla Khan, Frost at Midnight, The Nightingale, Christabel and This Lime Tree Bower my Prison.Explore Coleridge Cottage
- Gray's Monument, Buckinghamshire
- Standing near St Giles’ Church in Stoke Poges, this monument marks poet Thomas Gray’s long association with the village. Pause to take in the monument before discovering the landscape that inspired Gray to write his famous poem, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.Explore Gray's Monument
- Greenway, Devon
- Discover the scene of the crime from Agatha Christie's novel, Dead Man's Folly, at Greenway. Christie's beloved holiday home not only inspired her work, but housed her large collection of weird and wonderful artefacts – keep an eye out for a skull-shaped jar – and a Second World War frieze in the library.Explore Greenway
- Hardy’s Cottage, Dorset
- This evocative cob and thatch cottage is where Thomas Hardy was born. He wrote Under the Greenwood Tree and Far From the Madding Crowd while living here. Explore the house and then discover nearby Max Gate, a red-brick villa designed by Hardy himself and his home for more than 70 years.Explore Hardy's Cottage
- Hill Top, Cumbria
- Beatrix Potter bought Hill Top with the royalties earned from her first book, Peter Rabbit. The garden and surrounding countryside inspired many of her works – spot the beehive nestled in the garden wall, just as it was depicted in The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck.Explore Hill Top
- Lamb House, East Sussex
- Lamb House is red-brick Georgian home with connections to some of the greatest writers of the 20th century. It was home to Henry James, E.F. Benson and Rumer Godden, while notable visitors include H.G. Wells, Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling.Explore Lamb House
- Monk’s House, East Sussex
- Virginia Woolf purchased Monk’s House with her husband Leonard in 1919, at the start of her career as a published author. Visit this intimate home that's full of their favourite things and discover Woolf's writing lodge in the garden.Explore Monk's House
- Shaw’s Corner, Hertfordshire
- Playwright George Bernard Shaw left his treasured home of 44 years in our care upon his death. See the house largely as Shaw left it, with its Arts and Crafts interiors, and visit his writing hut, tucked away at the bottom of the garden.Explore Shaw's Corner
- Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant, Conwy
- Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant was the birthplace of Bishop William Morgan, the first person to translate the entire Bible into Welsh. In Tudor Britain, Morgan's work gave the Welsh people easy access to biblical teachings and created a standard version of written Welsh for the first time.Explore Tŷ Mawr Wybrnant
- Wordsworth House, Cumbria
- William Wordsworth, a famous poet of the Romantic age, was born in this Georgian townhouse. The home and gardens are presented as they would have been in the 1770s, so you can experience them as Wordsworth would have done in his childhood.Explore Wordsworth House
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