The moment we walked out into the gardens I was struck by their magical atmosphere. The Secret Lake came about after some friends moved to one of these Notting Hill apartments many years ago when our children were around age five and seven. Ground floor apartments have patio gardens Inspiration for The Secret Lake Those on the ground floor have direct access to the gardens from their own patio gardens – other residents have a key for access via a separate gate. Most of the Notting Hill communal garden houses have now been converted into apartments. (If you’ve seen the film ‘Notting Hill’ with Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant you’ll know what I’m talking about – I think the pair hop over a communal garden fence at one stage to steal time in one of the gardens!) Notting Hill houses – most are now apartments If you’re not familiar with Notting Hill, much of this part of west London is made up of tall and elegant terraced Victorian houses that back onto vast communal gardens for the owners’ shared use. This was a day spent at Norland Place School in Notting Hill – the area in London that first inspired the story of my time travel adventure, The Secret Lake. I’ve done quite a few school visits in recent weeks – but one in particular had special significance for me.
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