Chimneys of Green Knowe

Pleased to hear that a DVD of The Chimneys of Green Knowe (ridiculously called From Time to Time) is now available.

Directed by Julian Fellowes and staring Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Carice van Houten and Timothy Spall, to name just a few of the stars, this is an enchanting family film.

You can buy a copy direct from Green Knowe itself. Have a look at http://www.greenknowe.co.uk/shop.html

Better still, book a visit to the house - The Manor at Hemmingford Grey.

You could call in, see where Tolly slept, his mouse and toys and the birdcage - perhaps the chaffinch will yet appear.

 The hundreds of scented roses in the garden are, alone, worth the visit (ask when blooming - they might be early this year)

Someone (perhaps Diana Boston)  will show you round this amazing old place and you can buy the film too.

Check out http://www.greenknowe.co.uk/visiting.html

Like to know more about Green Knowe and the books? Trawl back to a previous page, October 17th 2010, when I paid a visit to the old place.

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.