A HOUSE BY THE THAMES
In 1996 my husband Rob and I bought a holiday house on an 18th century estate called Harleyford, by the banks of the River Thames in Buckinghamshire. For the next fifteen years we divided our time between England and Australia.
Originally we were considering buying a property in the regenerated Docklands area of London, but were seduced by Harleyford’s quintessentially English setting. There was even an 18th century manor house, which we overlooked from our deck.
My imagination was captured by the estate’s bluebell wood, a ‘secret’ tunnel, and a folly.
As a writer, I was also enchanted by the area’s literary associations. The manor is said to have been the inspiration for Toad Hall in Kenneth Graeme’s Wind in the Willows, and one of the holes on the adjoining golf course is whimsically named Ratty’s Retreat.
A path across the old sheep paddock leads to Marlow, where Mary Shelley created Frankenstein. Nearby at Bourne End is Old Thatch, where Enid Blyton wrote many of her children’s stories. The books may have appalled literary critics and librarians, but children all over the world loved them , including me.
A fellow Tasmanian, the author Peter Conrad , wrote;
‘Once I began to read, I discovered somewhere else to live; the Noddyland……..or secret garden of English books.’ ….. ‘Thus I became unassuageably homesick for a place I had never seen which existed only in writing. That fantasy was my home.’
I could certainly relate to Conrad. Harleyford was my ‘secret garden’. I remain convinced that the magic faraway tree still grows somewhere in the surrounding beech woods.
A wooden footbridge crosses the Thames on the downriver boundary of the estate. It was built as the final link on the Thames Path, replacing a long vanished ferry.
The daily sight of that bridge inspired Rob and I to walk the Path, beginning at the river’s source in a Gloucestershire field and ending at the Thames estuary, where the river flows into the North Sea.
I guess it was inevitable that my journey would result in a book. Those who know me will not be surprised to find that it’s one with an almost equal content of history and humour. 😍 It was published in London in 2013 as All Along the River; Tales From the Thames. It is intended as a companion volume to more formal Thames Path guides. Naturally there are many Australian associations, including the following;
I was slightly nervous when the book was reviewed by Old Etonian Dr. James Colthurst, but he was very generous.
Oh yes, I had great fun with those recipes. He also referred to my cheeky Aussie humour;
On the subject of rowing, here is a little story from the Royal Henley Regatta’s museum.
To my great pleasure the book was launched at Marlow Library by the town’s delightful mayor, Suzanne Brown. She certainly dressed for the occasion, complete with her chain of office and that spectacular hat! I’m afraid I rather let her down in this department. 😨
MORE ON THE THAMES PATH
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Pauline, I love the photo of you and the Lady Mayor. Her hat is gorgeous. Any female who wears pink is a friend of mine. Your photo of the River Thames looks so romantic with canal and other motor boats moored along its banks. We lived in U.K. for just over nine years before returning to Australia. It was in a small village outside of Haywards Heath in Sussex. The Downs was a place we often wandered over. We had bluebells in some woods close to our house, too. I remember trudging through the moist, soggy fallen leaves trying to dodge the bluebells so we wouldn’t crush them, almost an impossible task. I guess the manor house of Harleyford was lived in. At one stage in our English experience we lived in the gatehouse of a manor house. It was a beautiful, quaint dark brick cottage with a small bell tower because there was a secondary purpose for being there as it acted as the schoolhouse for the Manor. The manor and cottage was more like the Tudor period style dwellings with lovely triangular leadlight windows and heavy oak doors with large hinges.
Hi Heather
The Manor House is unoccupied right now, a bit sad really. Every city should have a mayor who wears pink hats! I envy you having lived in a gatehouse, they have such charm. Harleyford had East Lodge and West Lodge. P. x
What a beautiful spot – and with all that history to hand. No wonder you were inspired!
It was so lovely Ann, all my childhood dreams of England come true!
I was thinking of you constantly over the past few days dear Pauline. I traveled twice through Tunbridge Wells last week where your friend Errol lives; I was telling my friend Jane about your book and subsequent book launch at the library as we drove through Marlow on our way to walk up the MIDDLE of the Thames at Hambleden; I mentioned you again as we went past Harleyford on our journey; and I was staying at my friend Jane’s whose house you visited when you and Dr Bob were staying in Maidenhead.
And to think, we’d never have met if it hadn’t been for Facebook!
I agree Marcia. lots of good things came out of that awful writing group! Hahahaha Meeting you was definitely one of them. xxx