Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Did anyone else read the Lorna Hill '... at the Wells' books as a child?

83 replies

JessiCake · 12/09/2018 10:27

These flashed into my mind this morning, having not even thought about them for 30+ years!

I was talking about books I'd loved as a child to my DD and obviously I remembered the Noel Streatfields straight away, and then right out of the darkest recesses of my brain came the Lorna Hill books.

I LOVED them, re-read every single one at least 15 times.

I'm kind of hoping my parents still have them in the attic as I'm not sure they're still in print?

Anyone else remember these? I was definitely the only one of my friends who read them so maybe they were a bit niche?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Womaningreen · 12/09/2018 10:28

loved them

sadly I think I only have 2 now, I did have...5..? was that the lot?

MissLingoss · 12/09/2018 10:33

I read them. I don't think I ever read all of them, just whatever I could get from the library. I think Ella was my favourite heroine, and I liked Caroline too.

There were some paperback editions some years ago. I got a couple from a charity shop, but didn't like them. They'd updated the currency from shillings and pence to decimal, and it didn't work.

mostdays · 12/09/2018 10:33

Yes! I loved them... I don't think I read them all, but Masquerade at the Wells and No Castanets at the Wells I could probably pretty much repeat verbatim even now :)

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Children's books
Original poster
JessiCake · 12/09/2018 10:46

No castanets at the Wells was probably my favourite too! Don't remember the story of Masquerade... oh hang on was that the one with the two cousins, one who loved ballet and one who hated it, and they swapped? I loved that one too.

Which was the one with the Italian girl who was orphaned and came to live with the horrible aunt and uncle? Rosanna?

I don't remember Ella!! Who was she?

In my memory there were about 6 or 7...?

OP posts:
VioletCharlotte · 12/09/2018 10:56

Yes I did! I'd complete forgotten about these books. I need to get up in my parents loft as I'm sure my old books are up there. Would love to read them again.

MissLingoss · 12/09/2018 10:59

Ella was an orphan who was adopted by a family who weren't actively unkind, iirc, but she very much came second to their own two daughters who came along later. It was a working class (mining?) village, so a very different setting from her usual country houses.

The hero, Timothy the Vicar's son, is lovely. Sweet and kind and generous.

Womaningreen · 12/09/2018 11:03

I don't remember Ella so clearly haven't read them all

I do remember Stella - lived in the same house share as Veronica while they were students at the Wells.

minniemoll · 12/09/2018 11:15

I have them all in hardback with dustjackets, mostly first editions. I read them over and over when I was young, and still read them occasionally - I like the Wells ones best, but some of the other series are good too.

Did anyone else read the Lorna Hill '... at the Wells' books as a child?
BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 12/09/2018 11:27

I read all of them, but have absolutely no memory of the plots or people. The only think that I have a clear memory of is someone (probably Lorna) having a wonderful pair of silk gloves, thin but very warm.

Lessstressedhemum · 12/09/2018 11:38

Sebastian was my first fictional crush!

Original poster
JessiCake · 12/09/2018 11:54

God, I still have a crush on Sebastian, now I remember him... He was gorgeous!

I do remember Ella, you're right MissLingos, it was a mining village. Thr other sisters were a bit 'tarty', I think (very old-fashioned and snooby really) and nobody understood Ella.

OP posts:
MrsZB · 12/09/2018 12:18

Ha I came on this thread to mention my crush on Sebastian! Glad it wasn’t just me!

I loved those books!

MirandaWest · 12/09/2018 12:21

I also had a crush on Sebastian. I have a few of them (and was pleased to see 12 year old DD picking uk A Dream of Sadlers Wells of the “my books” bookcase in the kitchen (my bookcase has all my Chalet School, Abbey and other GirlsOwn type books on it)

EBearhug · 12/09/2018 12:24

I read most of them. I only have one myself, but I had a lot from the library.

SmilingButClueless · 12/09/2018 12:27

I read some of these but I don’t think all of them (although I did like Sebastian). I was more into the Drina books.

palindromeam · 12/09/2018 12:33

I loved the saddlers wells books but they all went to a charity shop long ago- curse moving and she cluttering.

I also fancied Sebastian - but suspect I'd hate him now!

cannycat20 · 12/09/2018 12:39

Oh yes - and the Jean Estoril series as well. I especially loved the hardback versions of the Lorna Hill stories, with their beautiful pencil drawings... I came across this site a while back, textualities.net/frederick-lewis/dancing-across-the-border-an-adult-reading-of-lorna-hill, which is really quite fun.

The books do show up on abebooks.co.uk quite regularly but some of them are quite expensive now.

(I also had a bit of a crush on Sebastian, although on balance I think life would have been much, much easier with Guy or Robin or Timothy...)

JasperRising · 12/09/2018 12:51

Which was the one that had a girl who worked as a maid? And had a cleft lip I think and met Veronica's daughter at an outdoor performance. There was a rain storm in there somewhere too. We had a copy of that and masquerade at the wells which I loved. I borrowed the first books from the library but never bought them - they weren't my parents' type of books so I always thought I wouldn't be allowed them/shouldn't enjoy them and never admitted I wanted them (even though we clearly had two Hmm ). Now you can't get them and I wish I had bought them!

PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle · 12/09/2018 13:12

I loved these books! I was convinced that I would be a ballerina when I grew up but couldn’t find any parallels between Veronica and me.
Does anyone remember another series about an orphan girl, living with her grandparents, who longs to dance and then discovers that her mother was a famous ballerina?

PuddleglumtheMarshWiggle · 12/09/2018 13:14

Got it!
She was Andrina Adams!
Think someone mentioned earlier about Drina. I think she had a more interesting life than Veronica

SorrelForbes · 12/09/2018 13:15

I've read them numerous times and have copies of all of them in hardback. The Italian girl was Rosanna.

CMOTDibbler · 12/09/2018 13:18

I've got them all - and the Drina books. Ella is one of my faves

SorrelForbes · 12/09/2018 13:19

I think there are 14 books (not at home to count them) www.goodreads.com/series/54574-sadler-s-wells

SorrelForbes · 12/09/2018 13:20

The first four are my favourites.

KickAssAngel · 12/09/2018 13:26

I just looked on Amazon (US). They have some of the books. One person is selling for $4 each, another for $151!!!

So, you can get them, but the price is pretty varied.

Swipe left for the next trending thread