Blickling Hall is a place that’s inspired me for years, and I’ve pinched it as a setting in a few books now (including RoNA Rose shortlisted book Sold to the Highest Bidder).
While I was writing it, they started opening in the winter and having curators there, and my friend Jo and I went for a research trip (including lunch and a wander round). The team was incredibly helpful with suggestions about death watch beetle and mould (so much better than my original idea of a roof that needed work). I was hugely inspired for the ballroom by the Peter the Great Room. And then there’s the gorgeous garden and the lake… (Have I mentioned the Great Wood, with its fantastic show of bluebells every year? Love, love, love this place. If we lived slightly nearer, I’d probably go there every day to write!)
Sadly, the format of the book changed so it no longer contains a ‘dear reader’ letter (which was where I’d thanked the team for their help), but I popped in today to take a copy of the book, a proper thank-you card and chocolates to show my appreciation. The autumn colour was stunning. And I’ll let the pics show you just how wonderful the place is. (The front of the house, the library, the Peter the Great Room, the back of the house and the lake.)
