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I am happy to find a site dedicated to my favourite children’s author, Elizabeth Goudge. My favourite books were The White Witch and The Little White Horse. The first book I had was The Heart of the Family which was absolutely psychologically so astute – in the portrait of a man who is destroyed in an outward way by the second world war; having lost all his family. All her books are quite pertinent to the ‘human state’, and address the philosophical issues we have to face.
Sara Johnsen Perth Australia
Thank you for contacting the web site, it's always good to receive
feedback, and I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
I too admire The White Witch very much, it was the first "grown-up"
Goudge that I read. The theme and plot of the book came to Elizabeth
just after she had moved to Rose Cottage. She "saw" Froniga open a gate
in her hedge and walk up the path. Gypsies also used to camp in the
field next to her home.
It was atmospheric to walk up Pack and Prime Lane and see pub called
The Dog etc, when we attended the Blue Plaque ceremony last year.
I am trying to organize something for this year too as it is 25 years
since Elizabeth died.
keep coming back as I update every month.
Dear Deborah
What a thrill to meet another Elizabeth Goudge Admirer. All my life I have
been the only one to have ever read her - apart from my mother. Only the
coarsest of English culture exists in Australia, and none of it's
sensitivities. If Elizabeth saw Froniga open a gate, then she saw visions.
The extraordinary thing is - she was not afraid to say so. You couldn't
say such a thing happened to you in Australia, or people would think you
were mad!. Maybe, people are more imaginative and accepting in England.
Are you actually in America or England? What was the significance of the
Blue Plaque Ceremony? I have never heard of the Pack and Prime Lane. What
a strange name. I have been to Ely twice, and Well's cathedral once, and I
couldn't quite work out where Elizabeth must have lived, unfortunately.
Cheers
Sara
I think that Elizabeth was careful about whom she talked to about her
"sight" but probably felt that writers are allowed a certain license.
She wrote an auto-biography called "Joy Of The Snow" which is well
written and although not personal in the way of modern "kiss and tell"
biographies, does give you a good impression of her life.
She ended up living in Oxfordshire in a small village called Peppard
Common, not far from Henley-On-Thames. It must have been very rural
when they moved there in the 50's.
Pack and Prime lane takes its name from the action that riders and
vehicles took before entering its steep, wooded course. They would
"pack" their guns with powder and shot and then "prime" them ready for
firing. It was a notorious place for Highway men, as they could escape
over the common.
The Blue Plaque is an organisation that erects Plaques on buildings
where famous people have lived. This particular place was chosen from
the many she lived in, because it was the last and longest and because
it can be seen from a public right of way. All plaques must be visible
to the public.
In both Ely and Wells, the homes she loved all her life, this isn't
possible. The Ely house has been altered extensively so it would be
impossible to tell which part the family had lived in, and Wells is
behind a walled garden.
One of the youngest people to contact the website came from Australia,
they were doing a class project which I was happy to respond to, the
details are in Goudge Talk. So not all Australians are unaware of her
talent!
Hope this answers some of your questions, I'm always happy to write to
like minded people.