St Leonards in Beaumont-cum-Moze was Kitty's families church. Parts of it were built in teh 14th and 15th century, therefore making it old even in Kitty's time. It was rebuilt in the 19th century.
The church stands beside Beaumont Hall which was built in the 17th Century. It is possible that Kitty was born there, but for the sake of the narative I transported her to the fictional Mede Farm, which gave me the opportunity to give her a physical connection to the land.
The church is in a beautiful setting which jostles with blossom in the spring and bursts with every kind of green in the summer. It has been the site of many a family picnic. It is well worth a visit.
All these places, so familiar to me, have enabled me to walk in Kitty's footsteps and have informed my writing. However, there are many excellent films and books that I have enjoyed that have been set in a similar era. These also must have surely influenced me. Everything we have seen or experienced becomes a part of us and will inevitably find its way into our creative output.
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