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1919: The war might be over but the de Witt family are still struggling in life
1919: The war might be over but the de Witt family are still struggling in life
In the aftermath of the Great War, the de Witt family are struggling to piece together the shattered fragments of their lives.
Rudolf and his wife Verena, still reeling from the loss of their second son, don’t know how to function in the post-war world. Stoneythorpe Hall has become an empty shell with no servants to ensure its upkeep.
Celia, the de Witt’s youngest daughter, is still desperate to spread her wings and see more of the world. To escape Stoneythorpe and the painful secrets that lie there, she moves to London and embraces life and love in the Roaring Twenties.
Stoneythorpe Manor, Hampshire is based on Bramshill House, a Jacobean house which was used as a red cross hospital in the war and was later used as a police training college. It is said to have many ghosts including a bride who accidentally locked herself in a chest on her wedding night and was not found until 50 years later. It is currently up for sale.
London has changed after the war and it is both a city on its knees but also one of celebration. Emmeline watches the men and women returning from war, marching down the Mall, celebrating peace day. This is the war to end All Wars it is said. But she wonders about the men and women still out there who have not come home and who will never come home.
Celia’s story continues in Germany and on a holiday with her German cousins in Baden-Baden. Tom goes with her – but his dubious parentage and his links with the de Witt family go on to cause more controversy. Celia and Tom are blown apart by the past and so Celia runs back to London, via Paris, and ultimately into a bigger mess.
Author/ Guide: Kate Williams Destination: London, Hampshire, Baden-Baden, The Somme Departure Time: 1919 onwards
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