On the trail of Peterswood

The village of Peterswood is a typical Enid Blyton setting, a friendly little place with narrow country lanes, old houses, a bakery on every corner, and a picturesque river. Everything's postcard-pefect. So where is it exactly? When I read all these books with my Enid Blyton reading buddy, Geoff, we were keen to Find Out.

We didn't have the resources of the internet back then, so we drew on details from the books. We knew there was a river running through Peterswood, and we knew from references to nearby Marlow and Maidenhead roughly where to look. So we decided Peterswood was based on a little village called Cookham, right next to the Thames somewhere between the aforementioned real-life towns. We got on a bus and rode up there, determined to find the place where Fatty and the others sat by the river, and to get some inkling of the sort of place they lived in.

Naturally we didn't find anything. Cookham is a very nice place, but when it really comes down it there are scant details in the books to give any clue as to where the kids might have lived. We went home a little disappointed.

About twenty years later I read on the internet that Enid Blyton lived first in a place called Beckenham and then, in 1929, moved to Old Thatch Cottage close to the River Thames at Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. Then she moved to Green Hedges in Beaconsfield. I don't know for sure but I now think Peterswood is based on Bourne End (which is very close to Cookham).

In The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat, the newspaper confirms that Peterswood is in Bucks (Buckinghamshire). There's mention of "Bourne Wood" in The Mystery of the Hidden House. Whether this is an actual place or not, the name can't entirely be coincidence...can it? In the same book, Fatty mentions that Peterswood is about three miles from Marlow. Bourne End is also about three miles from Marlow. And in The Mystery of the Vanished Prince there's a place called Maidenbridge, possibly a play on the name of real-life Maidenhead (although in the book Maidenbridge is only two miles away from Peterswood).

So is Bourne End the fictitious Peterswood? If anyone knows more about Peterswood's actual location, I'd be interested in finding out. Please feel free to email me at mystery@enidblyton.net.

According to the books, there are many small towns and villages located around the Peterswood area. Some are within biking distance, others are a bus ride away...but virtually all are fictitious.

Wilmer Green is about five miles away. Horace Peeks lives there in The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage.

Farring is fairly near Peterswood. The children set off to find Luke, suspecting he might be staying with his friend Jake at the circus in The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat.

Little Minton is where Miss Crump lives in The Mystery of the Secret Room. She was the previous owner of the deserted Milton House, where the secret room is.

Sheepsale is a friendly market town. In The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters, said letters were postmarked from this place and the Five Find-Outers get on the bus to visit, incidentally passing another village on the way called Buckle. Also in this book, Gladys (the Hilton's housemaid) goes to stay with her aunt at Haycock Heath after receiving a spiteful letter, and right at the end of the book Inspector Jenks suggest tea for all at a big hotel in Nutting.

Sheepridge is, apparently, a short walk away across the fields. In The Mystery of the Missing Necklace the Find-Outers set out to buy some old trousers there, for one of Fatty's disguises, but instead find some on an old scarecrow on the way. This town also turns up in The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat, although in this book the Find-Outers take the bus to get there. It's where one of the suspects, Alec Grant, performed his play. In The Mystery of the Invisible Thief, Fatty jumps on the bus to visit a second-hand clothing shop, where he buys a huge pair of boots. Would this be the place he intended buying old trousers from in Missing Necklace?

Marlow is first mentioned in The Mystery of the Hidden House and is the first actual real town to be featured in a Five Find-Outer book (unless you count London, which was mentioned in a previous book). Marlow is on the map above, and is "within three miles" of Peterswood according to Fatty, who rides there on his bike to visit Mr Holland's garage. Marlow is also mentioned very briefly in subsequent books.

Maidenbridge is two miles away, and in The Mystery of the Vanished Prince the Find-Outers head down there to see a woman about her twin babies. But they have the wrong address, so end up heading instead to Tiplington (a bike ride away) where a baby show is being held. Later they find out the Prince is being held at Raylingham Marshes—a desolate place with just a couple of houses. Mr Goon takes the train to Raylingham Station, but the Find-Outers take the bus.

Maidenhead pops up in The Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage. A-ha! The second actual real place! This is where the Lorenzos, on the run from the police, were spotted. Later that night they take a motor boat along the river to Tally-Ho Cottage. Taplow, the third real place, is mentioned along with Maidenhead and Marlow in The Mystery of the Strange Messages, as possible towns where a house called The Ivies might be located.