George Orwell (1903-1950), Wallington
Posted by: 
bill&ben
N 51° 59.278 W 000° 07.151
30U E 697802 N 5763619
George Orwell, in real life Eric Blair, lived in Wallington at a house called ‘The Stores’. He was also married in Wallington Church and based his book Animal Farm on Manor Farm in Wallington.
Waymark Code: WM79Y1
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/25/2009
Views: 7
Eric Blair aka George Orwell, the author, came to live in Wallington in order to have some time and space to devote to his writing. His Aunt Nellie had a small cottage in Wallington. It was a very small cottage called the "Stores" with almost no modern facilities in a tiny village. Orwell took over the tenancy and had moved in by 2 April 1936.
On the 9th of June 1936 Eric Blair married Eileen O’ Shaughnessy at St Mary’s Church, Wallington (N51 59.117 W000 07.170) in a simple ceremony. Copies of the marriage certificate are on sale at the church in aid of restoration funds.
He worked on his books at Wallington and elsewhere, and as well as writing, he and Eileen kept chickens, goats and geese and ran the village shop from the house. Orwell kept the stores until 1948.
Whilst Animal Farm was not written at Wallington, the village certainly influenced the book. The book is based in a village called Willingdon and many of the scenes in animal farm are set in a barn, believed to be the Great Barn at Manor Farm (N51 59.219 W000 07.130).
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