If you have read the books of Green Knowe, visiting is like stepping into the subtle and fantastic world Lucy Boston created. The green deer is there, as is the moat, and Tolly's bedroom is exactly as if he had just stepped out of it. It's still a home and it feels like one. History - the oldest part of the building is Norman, for example - and fable, woven so beautifully in the stories, is alive here, and can be found in the astonishing patchworks Lucy put together. Diana Boston's narration is informal, welcoming and informative. You can chill out in one of the prettiest gardens in England, with secret seats in unexpected secret gardens-within-the-garden - for a VERY nominal price (about a pound or something). You feel as though Lynette or Toby could be there,and you understand how Lucy could be inspired to write some of the most imaginative children's stories in English about the place.

It was cold and rainy the day I visited the Manor, but that hardly mattered; the house is amazing, with ancient flagstone floors sloping wildly and the thousand-year-old fireplace taking up nearly the entire wall of one room. I had read all of LM Boston's books as a child, and as an adult was positively gleeful to find that my favorite imaginary world actually existed.

The house is magical, and the gardens are a delight to explore. Obviously, if you know the books you will get so much more out of this visit, and it is great fun to look out for the various artefacts from the stories, but the building is extremely interesting and unusual anyway,with much atmosphere. Lucy Boston