Milton's Cottage - Paradise Lost Found

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright Angela Lansbury 2011.

' They also serve who only stand and wait'

' To be blind is not miserable; not be be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.'

'The mind can make a heaven out of hell, or a hell out of heaven.'

John Milton ( December 9 1608- November 8 1674.)

John Milton's Cottage - Paradise Lost Found

Writer Raold Dahl's Museum & Story Centre in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire was our destination for an afternoon drive out of London, but, as we tootled along the highway a helpful sign told us that nearby was another writer's home, John Milton's Cottage.

The picturesque village of Chalfont St Giles is where the blind literary genius moved from London in 1665 to escape the Great Plague. He was already blind, but a well-known poet and Parliamentarian, and finished Paradise Lost and began Paradise Regained in this house. Although he was here only about 15 months, it is his only existing home.

Even if you don't have time for a tour, take a quick look in the tiny shop in the entrance hall. I bought a tee towel, then spotted a 250 piece wooden jigsaw showing Milton's Cottage in 1774, containing 'whimsy' pieces including a musical instrument. www.jigsaws.co.uk

Just inside the door you can read a plaque about how Queen Victoria supported and donated to the original plan to preserve Milton's cottage. A glass case shows the signatures of royal visitors. Prince Charles came here on a day out which included a visit to Bletchley Park. You can read about that royal visit on the web. More on Milton is in Wikipedia.

The museum is on the ground floor only, looked like about four rooms. The upstairs is occupied by the curator. The building is a grade 1 listed building. the gardens are also listed, grade 2.

You can stroll around the cottage garden at the back which contains flowers mentioned in Milton's poems, laurel, myrtle, iris, roses and more, in lines from Paradise Lost, quoted on the website. The latest news is that Warner Brothers are making a film of Paradise Lost in Canada, so, they say, visit the cottage before the rush.

Getting to Milton's Cottage

By car: A 413 London Road. the website shows a map but it's hard to find the postcode you need for your satnav.) 21 Deanway, Chalfont St Giles, Bucks, HP8 4 JH.

By train: London transport Baker Street to Amersham and bus 353 to Chalfont St Giles. Or Baker Street to Chalfont & Latimer and taxi to cottage. British Rail, Marylebone to Gerrards Cross then to Chalfont St Giles take bus 305 or 353 or a taxi.

Free car park behind the cottage.

Opening times:

Open daily except Monday March 1st-October 31st. Closed January, February, November and December. Open Spring and Summer Bank Holidays.

Hours 10-1 and 2-6 with last entry at 5 pm.

What it costs you:

Your fare. (Free parking)

Entrance fee: 2011 admission prices. adults £5, children under 15, £3, . parties of 20 or more £4 each.

Souvenirs: Books, tee-towel about £3.50; jig-saw about £20.

www:miltonscottage.org

email: info@ miltonscottage.org

Food

Cheapest food I could see nearby: 24 hour supermarket, Tesco?

Heading back to London, Toby carvery serves breakfasts, lunches, and queue up carvery dinners. (Reduced daytime prices if you are seated before 7 pm.)

Upmarket and expensive restaurants and hotels are plentiful. Try laterooms.com

web: www.miltonscottage.org

ANGELA LANSBURY'S OTHER TRAVEL TRIPS & TALES

For more of my travel tales, look for my older websites (some restaurant details are out of date because the older sites block the creators from gaining access and making changes). The most up to date blogs are on this site, blogger.com which has several subject sections and more travel and restaurant reviews are on my Apple generated site, web.me.com.annalondon8

If you enjoyed this travel trip and travel tales blog, look on Lulu.com for Jewish Travel Tales & Guidebook, a graves and homes of famous biblical and recent characters, Jews, or those with jewish descent or connections worldwide A-Z (Albania - Muslim's message in melon saves Jew in WWII - see Angela Lansbury speaking on You Tube, to Zimbabwe, Queen of Sheba's graves in Africa) in London, UK and beyond, including: diarist Anne Frank (Amsterdam, Netherlands-Auschwitz, Poland, Belsen, Germany); Levi of jeans fame (Germany); Disraeli, Bevis Marks Synagogue, London's East End, home in Bucks.

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