Children of Winter
The novel "Children of Winter" by Berlie Doherty
http://www.berliedoherty.com/novelsf.html
Children of Winter is set in a small village called Eyam that is not far from where the author Berlie Doherty lives and it is loosely based on the story of the village of Eyam, which lost half of its population to the plague in 1666.
Eyam cut itself off from the rest of Derbyshire so that no other village would catch the Plague.
The story begins in Derbyshire of today, when a family has to take shelter from a sudden storm in an old barn and the shadows of the past crowd in.
So, a sensitively written story evolves. The story about three children that are from the village and that have to take refuge in a barn, not from a storm but from a terrible plague...
The village of Eyam
The small and well-preserved old village of Eyam is set in the beautiful landscape of Hope valley. But the peaceful appearance is deceptive.
At several houses boards that remind you of the deaths of the inhabitants
during the plague are attached.
The museum of the city, the tourist information house and in the church of Eyam exhibition shall show the catastrophe of the plague quite plainly to the visitors.
Tourist Information House
The old, romanic church with the celtic cross of the 8th century.
More than half of the population, about 260 people died during the plague that started in August 1665 and raged for 14 months, as you can see on the graveyard of this small village.
Historical background
The plague had been brought to the village in a flea-infested bundle of cloth that was delivered to tailor of the village from the city of London. As the plague started to spread around, the villagers decided to quarantine themselves to prevent the other villages from the plague.
Food and medical supplies were left at various points on the village boundary.
Without Eyam's sacrifice the death toll would certainly have been far higher, and the illness spread much wider.
In a book all the dead peolple's names and their obituary are inscribed so that it serves as a book of memento on the plague. It is stored in the exhibition in this church.
Also paintings about the tragic deaths and fates provide the gloomy atmosphere around the the topic "The Plague"- the topic this small village is always connected with.
Mrs Elisabeth Hanock buried her husband and six children, victims of the plague between August 3rd and 10th 1666
Boards in the Tourist Information House
The former Market Hall of Eyam
On this board you can get an overview about the main important facts and places of Eyam. A map gives you an overview about the village facilities and landmarks.
This board gives you a first impression about the extent of the plague for the small village and some backgroundinformation how the plague spread and evolved in Eyam.
Seven magnificent residents that once lived in Eyam are presented and their importance is portrayed.
Our trip to Eyam
We have visited this village in a daytrip to Eyam during our excursion to England. It was a very impressing scenery, seeing all the graves while knowing the cruel historical background.
Although this little village seems to be like every other little village in the beautiful landscape in Derbyshire, it emanates a gloomy atmosphere.
When we arrived in Eyam we used the tourist information house as a startingpoint of our visitation. There, lots of boards present the historical and geographical background of the small village.
We all sat together and read out a very impressive and emotional extract of Berlie Doherties novel "Children of Winter".
This helped us to imagine the real situation of the people in Eyam during the Plague in 1666.
Visiting the important and mentioned village facilities afterwards, helped us to understand the situation the villagers were in during the plague.
We will always remember the braveness of the inhabitiants of Eyam in 1666.
for more information:
http://www.derbyshireuk.net/eyam.html
http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/outandabout/eyam.htm
http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/towns/eyam.php
http://www.berliedoherty.com/novelsf.html
Children of Winter is set in a small village called Eyam that is not far from where the author Berlie Doherty lives and it is loosely based on the story of the village of Eyam, which lost half of its population to the plague in 1666.
Eyam cut itself off from the rest of Derbyshire so that no other village would catch the Plague.
The story begins in Derbyshire of today, when a family has to take shelter from a sudden storm in an old barn and the shadows of the past crowd in.
So, a sensitively written story evolves. The story about three children that are from the village and that have to take refuge in a barn, not from a storm but from a terrible plague...
The village of Eyam
The small and well-preserved old village of Eyam is set in the beautiful landscape of Hope valley. But the peaceful appearance is deceptive.
At several houses boards that remind you of the deaths of the inhabitants
during the plague are attached.
The museum of the city, the tourist information house and in the church of Eyam exhibition shall show the catastrophe of the plague quite plainly to the visitors.
Tourist Information House
The old, romanic church with the celtic cross of the 8th century.
More than half of the population, about 260 people died during the plague that started in August 1665 and raged for 14 months, as you can see on the graveyard of this small village.
Historical background
The plague had been brought to the village in a flea-infested bundle of cloth that was delivered to tailor of the village from the city of London. As the plague started to spread around, the villagers decided to quarantine themselves to prevent the other villages from the plague.
Food and medical supplies were left at various points on the village boundary.
Without Eyam's sacrifice the death toll would certainly have been far higher, and the illness spread much wider.
In a book all the dead peolple's names and their obituary are inscribed so that it serves as a book of memento on the plague. It is stored in the exhibition in this church.
Also paintings about the tragic deaths and fates provide the gloomy atmosphere around the the topic "The Plague"- the topic this small village is always connected with.
Mrs Elisabeth Hanock buried her husband and six children, victims of the plague between August 3rd and 10th 1666
Boards in the Tourist Information House
The former Market Hall of Eyam
On this board you can get an overview about the main important facts and places of Eyam. A map gives you an overview about the village facilities and landmarks.
This board gives you a first impression about the extent of the plague for the small village and some backgroundinformation how the plague spread and evolved in Eyam.
Seven magnificent residents that once lived in Eyam are presented and their importance is portrayed.
Our trip to Eyam
We have visited this village in a daytrip to Eyam during our excursion to England. It was a very impressing scenery, seeing all the graves while knowing the cruel historical background.
Although this little village seems to be like every other little village in the beautiful landscape in Derbyshire, it emanates a gloomy atmosphere.
When we arrived in Eyam we used the tourist information house as a startingpoint of our visitation. There, lots of boards present the historical and geographical background of the small village.
We all sat together and read out a very impressive and emotional extract of Berlie Doherties novel "Children of Winter".
This helped us to imagine the real situation of the people in Eyam during the Plague in 1666.
Visiting the important and mentioned village facilities afterwards, helped us to understand the situation the villagers were in during the plague.
We will always remember the braveness of the inhabitiants of Eyam in 1666.
for more information:
http://www.derbyshireuk.net/eyam.html
http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/outandabout/eyam.htm
http://www.cressbrook.co.uk/towns/eyam.php
Edale - 3. Jul, 08:29
