Antiques Roadtrip at Green Knowe

You will have to be very quick but a charming couple came in today, to tell me that they had enjoyed a visit to 'Green Knowe', otherwise known as The Manor at Hemingford Grey.
This was home to one of my favourite children's authors, Lucy M. Boston.
Well, to get to the point, they told me that this wonderful old property had featured on an episode of Antiques Road Trip recently.
This episode can be found on the site below but for less than 24 hours!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01jznd3/Antiques_Road_Trip_Series_3_Reversions_Episode_7/

A Visit to Green Knowe

A'Norman' view of the ancient Manor at Hemingford Grey (Lucy M Boston's Green Knowe'). It is, perhaps, the oldest continuously inhabited house in England (built shortly after William claimed the kingdom in 1066) The house can be toured by arrangement.

(see http://www.greenknowe.co.uk )

I was pleased to see St Christopher at the garden of Green Knowe. Many things mentioned in the books are present in the house - the children's toys, Feste's name board, Wait and See etc but it was great to see St Christopher. These gardens make a very worthwhile visit through the spring and summer, especially when the scented roses are in bloom. The picture, right, shows the view from the entrance of the garden.

Some of my all time favourite children's titles are the Green Knowe books written by Lucy M Boston. They start with The Children of Green Knowe (televised once but they really should put it on our screens again) and the second in the series is The Chimneys of Green Knowe. This has been filmed as 'From Time To Time' (A ridiculous name change which effortlessly loses the Green Knowe fan base) and may be found in a rural cinema near you. Why it has not found a major distributor, we'll never know. With Maggie Smith taking a major part, one would think someone would jump at it.

Then came The River at Green Knowe, to my mind the least successful, followed by her Carnegie medal winner, A Stranger at Green Knowe. The last two are An Enemy at Green Knowe and The Stones of Green Knowe (far more deserving of the title 'From Time To Time' but I still would not have changed it.)

So, what does all this have to do with the here and now? Well, after a family wedding in St Neots, the group I was with diverted from our homeward route today, to drop in at The Manor at Hemingford Grey. This treasure of an old house is where Lucy Boston lived while writing all the books and which is actually Green Knowe.

Delighted there to meet old friend Diana Boston who told me about the release of 'From Time To Time'. Some venues can be found on www.fromtimetotimemovie.com Do get along to see it if you get the chance and drop us a line if you do. Also, try Children of Green Knowe, a classic of children's literature which we always have in stock.

An American at Green Knowe

An American customer today asked for an opinion on a few 'very English' books. Unfortunately, I was very busy and had little time to think. Even worse, one in the suggestion box was Children of Green Knowe and it was missing from our shelves. Lucy M. Boston's best Green Knowe story is reprinting(?)but I did locate a photo of the Manor at Hemingford Grey in Cambs which is really 'Green Knowe'. Stranger at Green Knowe, for which the author won the Carnegie Medal, is in stock. You can visit this amazing old house but contact Diana Boston first at http://www.greenknowe.co.uk/ Read a few of the Green Knowe books first and your visit will take you into Lucy's magical world.