The Great House

It was 1690, and Barbara and Geoffrey were going far from their home in London to a place called Ladybourne, almost half-way to Oxford. They even had to cross the notorious Hounslow Heath, where fierce footpads lay in wait to rob unwary travellers. They were going to stay at an inn in Ladybourne, while Father built a modern house to replace the old Hall which already stood there in a park near the river. Then Father went back to London, while Geoffrey and Barbara stayed on in Ladybourne. It was an exciting time for both of them. Barbara went to stay at the Hall with little Elizabeth Ainsley, and she fell more and more under the spell of the old house, in spite of the sinister figure of the old French lady, poor Mad Margot. And Geoffrey, who so longed to become an architect and study at Oxford like Sir Christopher Wren, had found a wonderful new site for Father's new house, instead of putting it where the old one was. Then Geoffrey fell in disgrace for moving Father's precious plans for the house, and gaming and going to a cock-fight in Henley, and all their hopes of persuading Father to use the new site hung in the balance . . . Readers of ten and over will find this a fascinating story and make many discoveries about town and country life in the late seventeenth centry.