Helen Cresswell
Encyclopedia
Helen Cresswell was an English
author
of more than 100 children's books, including the Lizzie Dripping
series, and The Bagthorpe Saga
. She also adapted numerous stories for television
, including Moondial
(1988), Five Children and It
(1991), The Famous Five
(1995–1996) and The Demon Headmaster
(1996–1998).
, which she adored like a birthplace, and held a degree from King's College London
. She had 2 children, Caroline Rowe (born 1963) and Candy Rowe (born 1971) and 2 grandchildren, Ellie Staves (born 1996) and Lucy Staves (born 1999).
, Nottinghamshire
, aged 71, from ovarian cancer
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of more than 100 children's books, including the Lizzie Dripping
Lizzie Dripping
Lizzie Dripping was a British television children's programme produced by the BBC in 1973 and 1975...
series, and The Bagthorpe Saga
The Bagthorpe Saga
The Bagthorpe Saga is a series of 10 fiction books written by author Helen Cresswell between 1977 and 2001. The series became the basis of a TV comedy series - also called The Bagthorpe Saga - in 1981, and also won two International Reading Association awards...
. She also adapted numerous stories for television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, including Moondial
Moondial (TV serial)
Moondial is a British television serial made for children by the BBC and transmitted in 1988, with a repeat in 1990. It was written by Helen Cresswell, who also wrote the novel on which the series was based....
(1988), Five Children and It
Five Children and It
Five Children and It is a children's novel by English author Edith Nesbit, first published in 1902; it was expanded from a series of stories published in the Strand Magazine in 1900 under the general title The Psammead, or the Gifts. It is the first of a trilogy...
(1991), The Famous Five
The Famous Five (series)
The Famous Five is the name of a series of children's novels written by British author Enid Blyton. The first book, Five on a Treasure Island, was published in 1942....
(1995–1996) and The Demon Headmaster
The Demon Headmaster (TV series)
The Demon Headmaster is a British television series based on the children's books by Gillian Cross of the same name. Made for CBBC, the drama was first broadcast between 1996 and 1998...
(1996–1998).
Life
She was educated at Nottingham High School for GirlsNottingham High School for Girls
Nottingham Girls' High School is an independent fee-paying girls' private school, part of the Girls' Day School Trust, founded in 1875, situated just north of Nottingham city centre.-Facilities:...
, which she adored like a birthplace, and held a degree from King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. She had 2 children, Caroline Rowe (born 1963) and Candy Rowe (born 1971) and 2 grandchildren, Ellie Staves (born 1996) and Lucy Staves (born 1999).
Death
On 26 September 2005 Helen Cresswell died peacefully in her home in EakringEakring
Eakring is a village in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire.-Geography:It is situated between the A617 and the A616 roads between Ollerton and Southwell. Dukes Wood to the south is situated on the top of an escarpment, giving good views over the Trent valley to the east and towards...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, aged 71, from ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
.
Lizzie Dripping stories
- Lizzie DrippingLizzie DrippingLizzie Dripping was a British television children's programme produced by the BBC in 1973 and 1975...
(1973) - Lizzie Dripping by the Sea (1974)
- Lizzie Dripping and the Little Angel (1974)
- Lizzie Dripping and the Witch (1974)
- Lizzie Dripping on Holiday (1994)
Posy Bates stories
- Meet Posy Bates (1992)
- Posy Bates and the Bag Lady (1994)
- Posy Bates, Again! (1994)
The Two Hoots series
- Two Hoots (1974) (with Martine BlancMartine BlancMartine Blanc is a French author and illustrator of ten books for children including The story of Timothy, the Two Hoots series in collaboration with Helen Cresswell, and All about Jesus...
) - Two Hoots go to the sea (1974) (with Martine BlancMartine BlancMartine Blanc is a French author and illustrator of ten books for children including The story of Timothy, the Two Hoots series in collaboration with Helen Cresswell, and All about Jesus...
) - Two Hoots in the Snow (1975) (with Martine BlancMartine BlancMartine Blanc is a French author and illustrator of ten books for children including The story of Timothy, the Two Hoots series in collaboration with Helen Cresswell, and All about Jesus...
) - Two Hoots and the Big Bad Bird (1975) (with Martine BlancMartine BlancMartine Blanc is a French author and illustrator of ten books for children including The story of Timothy, the Two Hoots series in collaboration with Helen Cresswell, and All about Jesus...
) - Two Hoots Play Hide-And Seek (1977) (with Martine BlancMartine BlancMartine Blanc is a French author and illustrator of ten books for children including The story of Timothy, the Two Hoots series in collaboration with Helen Cresswell, and All about Jesus...
) - Two Hoots and the King (1977) (with Martine BlancMartine BlancMartine Blanc is a French author and illustrator of ten books for children including The story of Timothy, the Two Hoots series in collaboration with Helen Cresswell, and All about Jesus...
)
Winklesea series
- A Gift from Winklesea (1987)
- Whatever Happened in Winklesea? (1991)
- Mystery at Winklesea (1995)
The Bagthorpe Saga
- Ordinary JackOrdinary JackOrdinary Jack is a novel by Helen Cresswell, the first book in the Bagthorpe Saga.-Plot summary :Depressed at being an 'ordinary' child in a talented family, and by the failure to beat his younger sister at swimming, Jack Bagthorpe enlists the help of his Uncle Parker in hatching a scheme to become...
(1977) - Absolute ZeroAbsolute Zero (novel)Absolute Zero is a 1978 children's novel by Helen Cresswell, the second book in the Bagthorpe Saga.-Plot introduction:The Bagthorpe Saga follows the lives of the Bagthorpe family, who live in Unicorn House in an unspecified part of the United Kingdom. The nearest large settlement is the fictional...
(1978) - Bagthorpes Unlimited (1978)
- Bagthorpes v The World (1979)
- Bagthorpes Abroad (1984)
- Bagthorpes Haunted (1985)
- Bagthorpes Liberated (1989)
- The Bagthorpe Triangle (1992)
- Bagthorpes Besieged (1997)
- Bagthorpes Battered (2001)
External links
- Author Helen Cresswell dies at 71, BBC News, 27 September 2005.
- Obituary, The IndependentThe IndependentThe Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, 28 September 2005. - Obituary, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, 29 September 2005. - Obituary, Daily Telegraph, 29 September 2005.
- Obituary, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 30 September 2005. - Frank Cottrell Boyce, Tribute to a voice that crossed generations, The TimesThe TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, 8 October 2005.