A life long ambition fulfilled

[Vic Nicholas]

I am an Enid Blyton fan since I first read the Fatty Mystery Series as an 8 year old, many, many moons ago.

I introduced my wife to the Fatty Mystery Series, and she loved them and became a Blyton fan straight away. As well as the original run Mystery Series set, we also now have a full set of both Malory Towers and St Clare's which my wife absolutely loves.

So it was natural that we would one day make a pilgramage to Blyton's home, Old Thatch in Coldmooreholme Lane, Buckinghamshire.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/ ... neEnd3.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v357/ ... neEnd2.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This was little more than a week ago.

Simply fantastic!

As it was a Friday, the house and gardens were not open to the public, but we were still overjoyed to see the town that the Mystery Series was based on and to see the settings that the stories are losely based on.

We know it is not much compared to the multitude of photos others have taken who have actually been in, but, we were still in seventh heaven!

[Chrissie777]

Hi Vic,

I felt exactly the same when we visited Corfe Castle Village in Dorset in 2008 where "Five on a Treasure Island" has been filmed in 1957. Corfe castle Village has not changed since the movie has been made.
That same year we also took the train from Uxbridge to Marlow and walked the long long path along the Thames between Marlow and Bourne End.
Old Thatch was closed, but we took the same pics from the green wooden plate that you took with your wife and even managed to take some photos from the garden by holding the camera above our heads next to the hedge.
How wonderful that you got your wife interested in the FFO series!
Did you ever read the Famous Five series or the Adventure series? They are also great books!

Thanks for sharing your photos.

[Vic Nicholas]

Thanks for your kind words Chrissie!

I have a read a few Famous Five, but they lack the humour of the FFO, so do not hold my attention.

In fact, I have ONLY read the FFO series! (many times over)

My wife has now read the complete series of Malory Towers and St Clares as they are "girly" books. She also loves the FFO and thinks Fatty is the greatest character ever!

We both believe that every book in teh FFO series should be made into movies shot in the correct period (ie: late WW2,/immediate post war Home Counties Britain.

We would love that!

[Julie2owlsdene]

Glad you hear you managed to visit Old Thatch, and Bourne End. It's a great place indeed, and the walk along the river is fantastic, right out of the Mystery Series books. Maybe another visit and you'll find the gardens open.

Last year I set out to find where Enid Blyton's Green Hedges once stood, and even though there are houses built in the spot, it was still nice to know that I was in the place where the house once stood.

[Chrissie777]

Last year I set out to find where Enid Blyton's Green Hedges once stood, and even though there are houses built in the spot, it was still nice to know that I was in the place where the house once stood.

Hi Julie,

On my very first trip to Great Britain in May 1981, we tried to find the location from Green Hedges, but almost nobody knew about it. We stayed for several nights at a lovely old hotel in Beaconsfield (called Whitbred or Whitbread, it had a deer on the front side of the hotel) and kept asking people at the hotel and at night at two different pubs, but most of them never heard of Enid Blyton and the few that knew about Green Hedges only could tell us that it had been destroyed several years ago to make room for new houses .
None of them knew the exact location though.

Are there any pics from Green Hedges how it used to look when somebody entered it from the street? I only have seen those photos from the garden at Green Hedges (I think they are included in "The Story of my Life").

[Julie2owlsdene]

Are you a member of the Enid Blyton Society, Chrissie. Because in journal 46 I wrote an article in there called A Pilgrimage to Green Hedges with photos.

Below is the link of photos, just ignore the first few and you'll see where Green Hedges once stood.

http://s801.photobucket.com/albums/yy29 ... G_1198.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Photo number 15 is round about the entrance I think, and the house called Upton Leigh was the neighbour to Green Hedges.

[lwindrush]

I find it astonishing that green hedges was demolished if this was the States it would now be the centerpiece of a Disney style theme park.

Which is a good thing.

[Anita Bensoussane]

I can understand your excitement, Vic. I too am enchanted by Old Thatch (I've been there three times now) and, like Chrissie, my daughter and I have walked along the river-path (we started at Bourne End and finished in Marlow). It's great that you introduced your wife to the Find-Outers series!

[Chrissie777]

.
Below is the link of photos, just ignore the first few and you'll see where Green Hedges once stood.
Photo number 15 is round about the entrance I think, and the house called Upton Leigh was the neighbour to Green Hedges.

Hi Julie,

Big big thanks for the photos!!!
Yes, it would make sense if somebody kept the beautiful hedges and just built a new house where the old house was standing (over here they often try to not cut down old trees and build a house in-between nevertheless).
And no, I'm no subscriber to the Journal.

[Aussie Sue]

Also being from Australia, I know that amazing feeling of standing at the gate of Old Thatch and feeling totally overwhelmed. I did manage to go through the garden and take photos of the house, it was amazing. I feel excited every time I think of that day.

As you are so fond of Five Findouters (me too) you may enjoy the Barney mystery books, there are only six books in this series, quite different to Famous Five, and with some very interesting characters.

[chloe1]

I desperately need to visit Old Thatch. I grew up in Bucks and I have never been. I did find myself driving through Beaconsfield a few years ago and pulled over to examine Blyton Close and realised that I must have been standing near the site of Green Hedges.

My dad has since moved to Dorset and I still havent been to Corfe, Swanage or even Vivs storycentre. Plain useless I am - or just really busy!

On a non Blyton note I have been to Roald Dahls home Gypsy Cottage a few times. I am honored to have seen the shed before they randomly decided to move it to the museum down the road.

[lwindrush]

Chloe
I know the feeling, I live a short train journey away from the Bronte parsonage but have never been despite rereading Wuthering Heights every year since my teens. It's life that constantly gets in the way and stops me from doing all the small things that I need to do.

I think the Dahl shed was moved to preserve it from the elements.

[Katharine]

Sutton Hoo is only a couple of miles from where I live, but it's somewhere I've never got around to visiting. I think it's easy to put off something that is on your doorstep, whereas if I'm on holiday in another part of the country I try and pack in as many visits as possible, as there's always that risk I may not be back again.

[chloe1]

Chloe

I think the Dahl shed was moved to preserve it from the elements.

Well it had lasted pretty well so far. I think they moved it because Liccy was concerned that if she died the house could be sold etc. Personally I think Gypsy Cottage should be given to the National Trust but it is still a family home. Maybe one day it will be and they will put the shed back.

Chloe
I know the feeling, I live a short train journey away from the Bronte parsonage but have never been despite rereading Wuthering Heights every year since my teens. It's life that constantly gets in the way and stops me from doing all the small things that I need to do.
.

You must go - it is wonderful.

[Fiona1986]

I've been to the Bronte Parsonage, and I really enjoyed it despite having never read any of their works. Conversely I have read many of Dahl's books but haven't been to his museum, though I'd really love to.