Susan Cooper

The Dark is Rising

The five-book mystical adventure series The Dark is Rising stretches from once-rural Buckinghamshire to coastal Cornwall. Huntercombe is based on the village of Dorney and the Great Hall on Dorney Court, just a stone’s throw from the church of St James where Will battles against the Dark. Susan Cooper grew up here and says that “every stick is real”. Check out the church and Dorney Court, which is open to the public.

The Cornish town of Trewissick where the struggle against the Dark continues is actually Mevagissey, scene of Cooper’s childhood holidays. Explore the harbour where Barney first meets the ill-tempered artist in Greenwitch and then wind your way up the narrow streets to Mevagissey House where Jane may have encountered the sinister Mr Hastings (Over Sea, Under Stone). Better still, you can even stay there as the house is now a bed and breakfast (and much better kept than in the book!).

There’s lots to see in London as well. Greenwitch opens in The British Museum from where the Grail has been stolen: inspect the Celtic exhibits to see if anything looks familiar. South of the River Thames lies Shakespeare’s Globe, scene of so much action in King of Shadows. It looks just as it does in the book – tour it or be a “groundling” at a play. If the sea is more your scene then head for Portsmouth, home of HMS Victory, and see how powder monkey Sam Robbins (Victory) really would have lived.