£2 per child
Suitable for 5-12 year olds
This summer Ratty, Mole, Toad and Badger from children’s classic ‘The Wind In the Willows’ are hiding in our grounds! Collect a map and journey stick then head to the Riverbank, Mole’s Meadow and Toad Hall to find the characters and follow the story. Beware the weasels in the Wild Woods! At each location complete an activity and add a natural form to your stick to remind you of your journey.
Gilbert White was aged 7 or 8 when the White family moved from the Vicarage on Selborne’s Plestor, to this house, called ‘The Wakes’ (named after the Wake family who had lived here previously). At that time the property would have been no more than a ‘two up, two down’ but over the subsequent years lots of extensions and additions have been made, creating the long sizeable house you see today.
The rooms have been restored following descriptions in White’s own correspondence and include a chair he used at Oriel College, Oxford (loaned from the College), items of contemporary furniture, family portraits and bed hangings embroidered for him by his aunts.
On display is the original manuscript of his book, The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, which was purchased with generous help from English Heritage and others.
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