Homes that inspired some of the world’s best-loved books

The literary locations behind world-famous books

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Over the centuries, writers in search of inspiration have turned to locations from their personal life to get their creative juices flowing. Immortalised in literary history for generations to come, we step inside the hallowed homes behind some of the world's most treasured books.

Bleak House, Broadstairs, England

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Originally known as Fort House, this striking coastal home in Broadstairs, Kent, was once the summer retreat of literary giant Charles Dickens. The celebrated author holidayed here from the 1830s to 50s, finding inspiration in the property's unique aesthetic...

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Bleak House, Broadstairs, England

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The fortress-like property towers above the ocean, offering uninterrupted views over Kent's Viking Bay. As well as penning the illustrious David Copperfield here, the summer home is said to have inspired the creation of one of his most celebrated literary works, Bleak House.

Bleak House, Broadstairs, England

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Many have drawn comparisons between the Broadstairs property and John Jarndyce’s iconic home, as depicted in Dickens’ writing: “It was one of those delightfully irregular houses where you go up and down steps out of one room into another, and where you come upon more rooms when you think you have seen all there are, and where there is a bountiful provision of little halls and passages, and where you find still older cottage-rooms in unexpected places with lattice windows.”

Bleak House, Broadstairs, England

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Following a fire in 2006, the home is now a bed and breakfast, where you can walk the very hallways that Dickens himself once meandered. In 1853, Fort House was renamed Bleak House in honour of one of the best-loved novels of the 19th century.

The Secret Garden, Kent, England

Sunley Heritage

Great Maytham Hall near Rolvenden, Kent, is the former home of Frances Hodgson Burnett. This enthralling Grade II-listed country manor is set inside 18 beautiful acres of manicured gardens — the ideal setting for a magical children's story.

The Secret Garden, Kent, England

Sunley Heritage

The property’s pretty kitchen garden ignited an idea in Burnett’s mind. While exploring the grounds one day, the author stumbled upon a wrought-iron gate hidden behind some vines. The entrance led to a secluded walled garden, thus planting the seed for one of the writer's most celebrated works.

The Secret Garden, Kent, England

Sunley Heritage

Though in the book Misselthwaite Manor is located in Yorkshire, semblances between fiction and reality are clear: “The Secret Garden was what Mary called it when she was thinking of it. She liked the name, and she liked still more the feeling that when its beautiful old walls shut her in, no one knew where she was.”

The Secret Garden, Kent, England

Sunley Heritage

To this day, the property remains home to numerous residents, offering private luxury apartments in a quiet oasis in the heart of the Garden of England.

Nineteen Eighty-Four, Jura, Scotland

Ronnie Leask / CC BY-SA 2.0

The prognostic novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was inspired by many things, including George Orwell's crippling tuberculosis. Yet one location in particular became Orwell's main muse.

Nineteen Eighty-Four, Jura, Scotland

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Ironically, this remote farmhouse on the quiet Scottish island of Jura was the place where Orwell created the Thought Police and Big Brother, for one of his greatest literary achievements. In stark contrast to the themes of the novel, this isolated property fed Orwell's wild imagination.

Nineteen Eighty-Four, Jura, Scotland

Wikimedia

Set in the Inner Hebrides, Barnhill was, and still is, almost entirely off-grid. From his desk by the window, Orwell looked out over the deserted landscape and imagined a world with no privacy or freedom. Here, he penned the entirety of his dystopian classic.

Nineteen Eighty-Four, Jura, Scotland

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Fiercely private and wanting to maintain the home's tranquil beauty, Orwell was said to have shouted "cannibals" at anyone caught trespassing near his gate. Remaining virtually untouched ever since, the home is still owned by the same family who rented the property to Orwell some 70 years ago.

Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, Canada

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In 1908, L.M. Montgomery published her most famous works, Anne of Green Gables; a story said to be inspired by her own rural childhood in Canada.

Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, Canada

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Located on Canada's idyllic Prince Edward Island, it’s easy to see how Montgomery took inspiration from this stunning rural farmhouse. The ideal setting for a charming children’s tale, the property became the centre piece of Anne Shirley's world.

Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, Canada

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Montgomery lived in the stunning coastal cottage in the late 1800s and from here, penned much of the Anne of Green Gables series. Now a dedicated heritage museum, you can explore the rooms and gardens that influenced Montgomery's iconic children's tales.

Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island, Canada

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Those who visit this iconic property can step straight into Anne Shirley's world and explore famed locations from the novel, including Haunted Woods and Balsam Hollow: “I'd go out into a great big field all alone or in the deep, deep woods and I'd look up into the sky—up—up—up—into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness.”

Little House on the Prairie, Pepin, Wisconsin, De Smet, South Dakota

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The Little House on the Prairie epitomises rural American life in the late 19th century and was inspired by the pioneer lifestyle of its author, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Constantly on the move, a whole host of Midwest homes influenced the iconic series. This is a replica of Wilder's birth place in Wisconsin, as described in Little House in the Big Woods.

Little House on the Prairie, De Smet, South Dakota

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In 1880, a 13-year-old Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family moved to this cabin in South Dakota, fictionalised in the fifth book in the Little House series, By the Shores of Silver Lake. Her father, Charles, built the small shanty homestead himself, lured to the location by the plentiful supply of water.

Little House on the Prairie, Mansfield, Missouri

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Now with a husband and young daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder moved to Mansfield, Missouri in 1894. The family cultivated 200 sprawling acres of farmland, and eventually built a farmhouse, called Rocky Ridge Farm on the plot. It was here that Wilder began committing the Little House series to paper.

Jane Eyre, Peak District National Park, England

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This stunning historic property in the heart of the Peak District National Park, was a major influence on Charlotte Brontë, who visited the home several times in 1845. Known as North Lees Hall, the building became the inspiration for Thornfield Hall, the iconic residence of Edward Rochester in Brontë’s most enduring novel, Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre, Peak District National Park, England

Peak District National Park Authority

Surrounded by the stunning rolling hills of the Peak District National Park, North Lees Hall beautifully captured the solitude of country life in England during the 19th century. In the book, Brontë describes the hall quite suitably: “three storeys high; a gentleman’s manor house; battlements round the top gave it a picturesque look”.

Jane Eyre, Peak District National Park, England

Neil Theasby / CC BY-SA 2.0

Though not open to the public, this enchanting property is a truly captivating piece of literary history. The author even named her acclaimed novel after North Lees Hall's architect, Robert Eyre.

Jane Eyre, North Yorkshire, England

Norton Conyers

Yet, there is further grand Yorkshire property which is said to have inspired Charlotte Brontë's timeless novel too...

Jane Eyre, North Yorkshire, England

Norton Conyers

Norton Conyers was visited numerous times by Charlotte Brontë in 1839, some eight years before the book was published. Brontë had heard stories about a mad woman confined to the building’s eerie attic, a tale that is said to have inspired her infamous character, Bertha Mason.

Jane Eyre, North Yorkshire, England

Norton Conyers

In 2004, a hidden stairway was discovered at Norton Conyers, further linking the historic property to Thornfield Hall. The attic remains intact to this day, where you can see for yourself the room that helped create one of the greatest literary twists of all time.

Jane Eyre, North Yorkshire, England

Norton Conyers

The stunning manor is open to the public 28 days each year, so you can explore the rooms and gardens that inspired one of history's most classic novels.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the Lake District, England

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When you take a look at the chocolate-box childhood home of Beatrix Potter, it's easy to see where inspiration for her most iconic character was born...

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the Lake District, England

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That's right, the beautiful gardens and surrounding landscape of Beatrix Potter's former home were the main inspiration for the adventures of mischievous Peter Rabbit.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the Lake District, England

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It's easy to imagine Peter hopping around this quaint English garden, and you can almost see Beatrix Potter herself, sat by her window watching the animals outside play.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the Lake District, England

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Known as Hill Top, this quintessentially English property is located in the heart of the Lake District and is still visited by fond fans, eager to see the dwelling that inspired some of literature's best-loved characters.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Edinburgh, Scotland

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Located in historic Edinburgh, it's easy to see how this dramatic castle-like property ignited an idea in the mind of J. K. Rowling...

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Edinburgh, Scotland

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Though not technically a home, this grand building was designed by Renaissance architect, William Wallace, in the mid-1600's. Initially opened as a hospital, the building is now home to prestigious George Heriot's School.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Edinburgh, Scotland

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J. K. Rowling is rumoured to have taken inspiration from the property's dominant turrets and towers for her famed fictional institution, Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry: "A huge, rambling, quite scary-looking castle, with a jumble of towers and battlements."

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Edinburgh, Scotland

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By night the building is hauntingly magical, commanding the landscape in the same way that Hogwarts is said to in Rowling's adored Harry Potter series.

Howards End, Stevenage, England

Hunters Estate Agents

Author E.M.Forster lived in this attractive Grade I-listed home, called Rooks Nest House, between the ages of four and 14. His love for the property inspired what many believe to be the writer's literary masterpiece.

Howards End, Stevenage, England

Hunters Estate Agents

Forster adored the rolling countryside that surrounded the home, taking inspiration for his work from the idyllic landscape of his childhood.

Howards End, Stevenage, England

Hunters Estate Agents

Previously known as Howards, the property is mentioned several times in Forster's novel, and its title even named after this stunning country house. Perhaps a sign of how much he admired his former home, Mrs. Wilcox's house is the only solid and reliable thing in the book: it's said to be the plot piece that ties the novel together.

Howards End, Stevenage, England

Hunters Estate Agents

Dating back to the Tudor period, the property still boasts lovely formal gardens and idyllic landscape vistas, still intact from when Forster lived there almost 140 years ago.