A few years ago, I visited Snowshill Manor in the Cotswolds – the wonderfully magical home of the late Charles Paget Wade. It remains one of the most extraordinary places I have ever seen with its eclectic collection which includes everything from long case clocks to Samurai swords.
The house and garden alone would be worth a visit for it is exquisitely beautiful, sitting in one of those green-gold valleys which the Cotswolds is famous for. I just knew that I had to write a book set there and an idea for a hero inspired by Charles Paget Wade began to emerge … an eccentric collector with a rather unusual collection …
So, I wrote to the custodian of Snowshill and was allowed to visit on a perfect spring day in May when the house was closed to the public. What a treat that was! I was shown around the collection, allowed to take photographs and ask all the questions I had whilst my artist husband had been given special permission to paint in the garden. It’s a day I’ll never forget and I hope I’ve managed to capture something of the magic of Snowshill in my fictional version, Fox Hill Manor, in The Secret of You.
But Nancy soon relaxed into her new life even though she made it obvious that she wasn’t going to be the best of cuddling hens!
Nancy was always capable of making us smile and laugh …
