Why Grove Park may have been inspiration for E. Nesbit and The Railway Children

Yahoo

21-04-2025

Grove Park and its railway station may just be the inspiration behind The Railway Children.
E. Nesbit, or Edith Nesbit, is famously known for her published works like The Railway Children, Five Children and It, and The Phoenix and the Carpet.
Over the course of her life, the esteemed author lived in a number of areas around south east London including Eltham, Blackheath and Grove Park.
At one time Nesbit lived in Well Hall, with her home backing onto what is now Well Hall Pleasaunce, and there are even records of the author punting in the moat around The Tudor Barn when she used to live there.
At one time Nesbit lived in Well Hall, with her home backing onto what is now Well Hall Pleasaunce. (Image: Emily Davison)
She was also friends with fellow south east London writers H.G. Wells and George Bernard Shaw, who she would frequently entertain as guests.
Whilst the village of Strines in Stockport also lays claim to being the inspiration for The Railway Children, Grove Park's strong claim is one that is highly regarded.
Whilst the village of Strines in Stockport also lays claim to being the inspiration for The Railway Children, Grove Park's strong claim is one that is highly regarded. (Image: Loco Steve/Flickr)
Nesbit lived in Baring Road between the years of 1894 and 1899, in a home called Three Gables next to The Ringway Centre – a rather similar sounding name to the fictionalised Three Chimneys house where the children move to.
The building is no longer standing, however a short way from the former house you'll find Railway Children Walk, which leads to the nature reserve and Railway Children Point, a spot that would have given the author views of the railway line and surrounding countryside.
This connection was marked with a map and trail financed by The Heritage Lottery Fund, which highlights sites of interest in Grove Park since the town's birth in the 1870s.
A short way from E. Nesbit's former house you'll find Railway Children Walk, which leads to the nature reserve and Railway Children Point. (Image: Google) Edith was later to move to an 18th century house in Well Hall in 1899 with her husband Hubert, where she remained for 22 years.
This home is also believed to be the inspiration behind another of her books – The Red House, published in 1902.
A plaque was later erected in Well Hall Pleasaunce in 2004, commemorating the author for her work, and reads: 'Edith Nesbit, with her magic touch of writing children's stories which still live on today in television and film adaptations, is the name now most associated with Well Hall House."