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Place as inspiration in The Secret Child
When I’m thinking about the plot for a novel, and during the process of writing it, places that I visit are important both as locations and to provide inspiration for aspects of the story. My starting point for the second novel in The Margate Maid trilogy, The Secret Child, was a scene that now takes place in Part II of the book, which focuses on a character called George. When I moved to east Kent I was unfamiliar with the area and was fascinated by a trip to Conyer, Oare and the marshes there, which overlook the Isle of Sheppey. It’s easy to imagine strange goings-on during dark winter nights among the creeks and inlets, where traces of past buildings such as brickworks, and jetties such as Dan’s jetty, pictured here, remain.
When I followed this up with a trip to Faversham and discovered the town’s history of gunpowder works, I had a key part of my story. I knew nothing of such things before but fragments of the buildings that created the ‘black powder’ – a very dangerous business – can still be seen in Oare Gunpowder Works Country Park. It wasn’t long before George had found himself a job there, although in my opening scene I imagine him at work, cutting alder on a bleak winter’s day.
Later, George courts Maggie, barmaid at The Three Tuns, (which you can still visit today), walking with her by Stonebridge pond in Faversham. His story continues at sea, when he is pressed into the navy. I’ve been surprised by the number of readers who have told me how much their husbands enjoyed this book, which I can only put down to this seafaring section!
Much of the rest of the book is set on the Woodchurch Manor estate, where Charlie and Molly, whom we met in A Maid’s Ruin, reside with their three daughters. Charlie is the head gardener, at a time when flowers were being introduced into garden borders after a period of pre-occupation with creating vast, park-like landscapes.
The garden in the book, although based in location on the Quex estate at Birchington, also takes inspiration from the beautiful garden at Goodnestone, which lies in unspoilt countryside just a few miles distant. The pictures here were taken over the course of several visits over the years. The house at Goodnestone looks out over a formal terrace, falling away to a landscape stretching to a wooded skyline. In The Secret Child, the terrace leads onto the gardens, which are on the other side of the house in Goodnestone and include a stunning walled garden, overlooked by the village church.
Other highlights include the ancient sweet chestnut trees in the grounds, with their twisted trunks and gnarled branches. One of them, to the side of the house, is believed to date from Jane Austen’s time, when she was a regular visitor to the house, staying with her brother’s family in nearby Rowling. With such a rich literary history associated with the house and gardens it’s hard not to be inspired by a visit there.
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The Secret Child - blurb
Kent, 1814. Respectably married Molly Dawson lives with her husband, head gardener Charlie, on the Woodchurch Manor estate, where they have brought up three delightful daughters. Her life appears idyllic . . . but she has suffered the torment of a secret since she was eighteen years old.
When a young stranger, fresh out of the Navy, appears at the estate's annual garden party, Molly's life is set to change again, and her close-held secret threatens to break free. Could he be a suitable match for one of her daughters? Or is this charming young man a threat to her hard-won happiness?
Can Molly ever overcome the consequences of a decision she made long ago to find true joy and fulfilment at last?
The Secret Child on Amazon
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