The Buckinghamshire village of Great Missenden is known primarily for one thing: Roald Dahl. While on honeymoon in 1954 with his first wife Patricia Neal, the children’s author bought Gipsy House, just off the high street. He remained at the property until his death in 1990 (he’s now buried in a church in the village, where children still leave toys by his grave).
It was within a hut in the garden at Gipsy House that the mischievous author plumbed the depths of his darkly vivid imagination — his working day brought to an official end when a strong G&T was produced by a member of his family.
During school holidays, the drinks-bearer would often be his granddaughter Sophie. Now, the model is reported to be