The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden

BookTrail locations in The Secrets of Hartwood Hall Hartwood Hall had to be an old house – old to the inhabitants within the novel, as well as to readers. My novel is set in the 19th century, but of course the big grand country houses standing at that time were usually built a long while before. It had the right look – beautiful in the sunlight, gothic in the dark – and was the right age of building. Hartwood Hall itself is loosely modelled on Corsham Court. So, when I started writing The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, Corsham Court came back into my mind. It’s one of my favourite places, and it’s definitely stayed with me since.Ĭorsham Hall (c) Katie Lumsden BookTrail locations in The Secrets of Hartwood Hall I spent a year of my life going in and out of this amazing building, walking up to it from the bus stop, always slightly stunned that I was allowed to spend time there. Several years ago, I did an MA in creative writing at Bath Spa university, which was taught at the beautiful Corsham Court in Wiltshire, an old sandstone manor house built in the 16th century and extended and altered in the 18th century. It’s a gothic historical novel, set in the Victorian period, and so setting – and the atmosphere that springs from setting – is very important within it.īookTrail locations in The Secrets of Hartwood Hall My debut novel, The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, is the story of a governess called Margaret Lennox, who returns to work after her husband’s death and takes a position at the mysterious, isolated Hartwood Hall. Travel to Hartwood Hall with Katie Lumsden

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden