Hooray for Enid Blyton

As I boarded the train to Bourne End to visit Old Thatch, I thought about all of the Enid Blyton books I’ve read.  My favourite of them all and also my favourite book to date is Five Runaway Together, the story of the famous five and an adventure on Kirrin Island. I used to dream of having an adventure just like that one. So, without further ado, let me tell you about the woman that I like to call the first lady of children’s stories.

Enid Blyton was born in East Dulwich at 354 Lordship Lane on August the 11^th 1897.  The family moved to Beckenham where Enid was educated. Blyton trained as a teacher and taught for five years, writing in her spare time. Her first book, Child Whispers, was published in 1922 and well, you can guess the rest. 

After marrying, Enid and her husband Hugh Alexander Pollock moved into Old Thatch in Bourne End Buckinghamshire.  She drew plenty of inspiration from the area and referred to it as Peterswood in her books.

It pains me to reveal that the address in Lordship Lane is now a shop that sells bathroom tiles and the like. I found it disappointing to say the least, but Old Thatch gave me an incredible feeling that made up for any misgivings about the other property.  Surrounded by fences that make it impossible to see in, the grounds are beautiful and there’s loads of old world charm.  If the garden to the rear of the cottage is similar to what it was in Enid’s time, then there’s a shed full of spur, but the nearby wooded areas offer that too.  Just wandering along the lane that leads to the cottage garden take’s you into a sort of Blytonesque world and you kind of expect to see characters such as Brer Rabbit or Noddy along the way.  As I sat in the gardens sipping tea, I wondered if my chair would suddenly sprout wings and take off to somewhere magical with just a simple wish.

Old Thatch - Bourne End

Over the years, several of Enid Blyton’s books were banned or changed.  Noddy was said to be a poor role model for boys because he sometimes cried when he was frustrated, and his relationship with Big Ears was a bit suss. If you delve into it all further, there are several books that have been changed to make them politically correct. 

I could go on for hours about Enid Blyton; she is said to have written an estimated 600 books over approximately 40 years. Which I must say, is an incredible effort. My love for her work will never die regardless of what the critics say and this in turn brings to me to tell you that, Once upon a time in the mother country, a woman’s imagination took flight and soared far and wide to impress on the world the fantastic characters and incredible stories that bring out the child in all of us.

Thank you Enid Blyton.

www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk

www.oldthatchgardens.co.uk