KENTSTAYCATION
Full of Character cont ...
CABÜ BY THE SEA
Connected to Vita Sackville West ( 1892 - 1962 Sissinghurst Castle Farmhouse , nr Cranbrook sissinghurstcastlefarmhouse . co . uk
A best-selling novelist , poet and garden designer , Vita Sackville-West was an extraordinary woman who wrote about the Kentish countryside in which she lived . Born at Knole in Sevenoaks , she was the only daughter of Lionel Edward and Victoria Sackville-West . Growing up , she loved to show visitors around her ancestral home , and began writing her prize-winning poetry at a young age , penning such works as The Land ( 1926 ) and its follow up , The Garden ( 1946 ). After marrying the diplomat Harold Nicholson , Vita and Harold purchased Sissinghurst Castle in 1930 with plans to renovate the once rundown Elizabethan mansion .
Today , visitors can explore Vita ’ s unique garden rooms , filled with colourful blooms that reflect the romance and vitality of her writings . Though her writing room in the twinturreted tower of the castle is off limits , the National Trust has ensured that time stands still at Sissinghurst with the original wallpaper and bookshelves lined with thousands of titles still intact . Situated within the estate is Sissinghurst Castle Farmhouse , a luxury nine-bedroom bed and breakfast with spectacular views across the estate . Guests can stay overnight at this stunning location just 50 metres from Sissinghurst ’ s worldfamous gardens and explore a literary history preserved like no other in Kent .
Connected to Ian Fleming ( 1908 - 1964 ) Dover Marina Hotel & Spa , Dover dovermarinahotel . co . uk
An English writer renowned for his post-war James Bond series of spy novels , Ian Fleming worked as a journalist , stockbroker and banker before trying his hand with fiction writing . Born into a wealthy family in London , he became a naval intelligence officer during World War II , an experience which motivated him to write 12 James Bond novels and two short story collections between 1953 - 1966 . Fleming had a holiday home in Kent and often frequented the chalky white cliffs of Dover , loving to look through telescopes over the English Channel . The place where he wrote what ’ s widely credited as ‘ the spy story to end all spy stories ’, Fleming found inspiration in the world around him - even sourcing the iconic 007 codename from the number of the London to Dover coach . A town rife with history , heritage and fantastic coastal views , it ’ s no wonder that Dover was where Fleming chose to create his stories .
To stay close to the historic action , visitors can stay at the Dover Marina Hotel & Spa , located right on the seafront and just a three-minute walk to Dover ’ s ferry cruise terminal . The grand 19th-century building boasts sophisticated interiors and modern luxuries of a gym , sauna , steam room and spa pool for guests to enjoy , and is the ideal weekend getaway to explore the bonds between Ian Fleming and one of Kent ’ s most notorious coastal towns .
Connected to Eleanor Hibbert ( 1941 - 1993 ) The Royal Hotel & Pub , Deal theroyalhotel . com
A pioneer of the modern gothic novel , Eleanor Hibbert was an English writer of light and historical romances , crime novels , thrillers and murder mysteries . Using pseudonyms such as Eleanor Burford , Elbur Ford and Anna Percival , Hibbert published books that have sold more than 100 million copies . Born in Canning Town in London , Hibbert inherited a love of reading from her father and went to business college at the age of 16 where she studied languages , shorthand and typewriting . Between 1974 and 1978 , she and her husband George Percival Hibbert bought a 13th-century manor house in Sandwich , Kent , where she wrote The Shivering Sands ( 1986 ). Within the story , Hibbert describes how : ‘ the sand moves as you watch and forms itself into strange shapes , like monsters some of them … with claws … waiting to catch anyone who wandered there and pull them down ’, using the coastal backdrop as an essential location within her novel .
To holiday close to where Eleanor Hibbert once wrote , visitors can stay at The Royal
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