Lamb House facts for kids
Lamb House is a beautiful old house in Rye, East Sussex, England. It was built in the 1700s and is now owned by the National Trust. This means it's a special place kept safe for everyone to enjoy.
Many famous writers have lived here, including Henry James from 1897 to 1914, and later E.F. Benson. Today, Lamb House is a museum where you can learn about these writers and the house's interesting past.
Contents
History and Famous Visitors
Building the House and a Royal Guest
Lamb House was built in 1722 by James Lamb. He was a wealthy person who sold wine and was also a local politician. Something very exciting happened in 1726. King George I had to stay at the house. His ship was washed ashore nearby at Camber Sands. James Lamb kindly gave the King his own bedroom. That same night, Mrs. Lamb gave birth to a baby boy! The King agreed to be the baby's godfather, and the child was named George.
The Garden Room and Writers' Inspiration
In 1743, a special room called the Garden Room was added. It had a big window looking out onto the street. This room was first used for fancy dinners. Later, both Henry James and E. F. Benson used it as their writing spot, especially in the summer. Sadly, the Garden Room was destroyed by a German bomb in 1940 during World War II.
E.F. Benson loved the house and its garden very much. He even wrote about them in his popular Mapp and Lucia novels. In his books, he called Lamb House "Mallards." The house is also featured in Joan Aiken's book The Haunting of Lamb House (1993). This book tells three ghost stories about people who lived in the house at different times, including James and Benson.
Many other interesting people have lived at Lamb House over the years. These include the novelist Rumer Godden and the actor Dominic Rowan.
Lamb House Today
The National Trust's Care
In 1950, the National Trust was given Lamb House. This happened thanks to the widow of Henry James's nephew. The National Trust helps protect important historic places in England.
You can see some of Henry James's personal items on display inside the house. There's also a beautiful walled garden. It was designed by Alfred Parsons at Henry James's request. Both the house and the garden are open for people to visit.
Keeping the House Safe
In 2006, Lamb House had some big repairs done to its outside. This included putting up special wires to stop seagulls from nesting on the roof. The seagulls were blocking the drains, which could cause problems. Parts of the stone and the copper roof were also replaced. These repairs took about three months to finish.
Since 2018, the house is no longer rented out to tenants. This means that the first floor of the house is now open to the public for the very first time!
Filming at Lamb House
In the summer of 2014, Lamb House was used for filming a BBC TV show. It became the fictional "Mallards" for a TV adaptation of E.F. Benson's Mapp and Lucia. For the filming, a temporary copy of the old Garden Room was built. The TV series was shown on BBC1 in December 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Lamb House para niños
