Dens
Dens
Over the last 50 years, statistics suggest that, whilst in 1970 one in two children played outside with friends finding things to do, today only one in ten children in this country plays outside. Not only that but games played indoors have equally been abandoned in favour of a dramatic increase in screen time – an occupation that is wholly sedentary.
Some of my fondest childhood memories involve my sisters and me climbing trees and building dens and forts, sometimes in places that were deeply inconvenient for various adults, but which were nevertheless encouraged. We drew secret maps to follow across sheep fields, complete with decoy routes in the firm belief that our parents couldn't possibly find our secret dens until of course we wanted to show them our marvellous constructions at the end of a summer holiday.
At one point I remember climbing some hay bales and then jumping down onto the hay beneath which did get us into trouble. The farmer caught us and called our parents who apologised profusely to him, and we were all ticked off. These days such activities would also undoubtedly be deemed unsafe.
Luckily the forts and dens were less controversial and made the most of fallen tree trunks across ditches to create secret homes. Sticks and branches covered over by leaves made a roof that was entirely hidden. They were never particularly weatherproof despite our cross lined twigs and, access was sometimes a little tricky, but that never mattered and we could have picnics hiding out in them or midnight feasts at teatime.
I am not really sure why we all love hollows and huts. Why there is an appeal to finding corners in woods no one knows about, or ancient tree stumps with hidden entrances to secret worlds. Maybe there is a cave or an old walled garden … these are just all wonderful secret places to explore.
Given my youthful exploits, it was a lovely surprise to find that the first film which Geordie and his father welcomed to Highclere in 1993 was “The Secret Garden”, a book which I had grown up with and adored. Coincidentally , Maggie Smith was part of that cast as well. It is a story about the wonder of gardens hidden by time and how healing they can be. The wildness of the garden became a playground for the children whose story the book follows. We have a Secret Garden here at Highclere, although it is (sadly) clearly sign posted, and it is one of the prettiest parts of the gardens.
This coming weekend is our literary festival which includes a garden trail for children inspired by the world of imagination found in the books in Highclere’s Library. We begin by stepping through a wardrobe. In fact, I once did step through what I thought was a wardrobe here at Highclere and found a hidden set of stairs rather than another world, but it was so intriguing even at my ancient age.
If you have read the Hobbit then you will find the Back Door or the Side-door, which as you would expect is perfectly round, just like a ship’s porthole. Hopefully it leads to the home of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, a hobbit-hole. Other imaginary worlds also include a profusion of imagined doorways from Peter Rabbit to Winnie the Pooh in his Hundred acre wood.
It is all about time out away from screens and a way of bringing an amusing weekend to life. There is an underlying thought that fresh air is so important to our health and wellbeing. I was lucky enough to play sport most days and loved it so Geordie and I once helped the National Playing Fields Association, a charity dedicated to encouraging children to go outside during the school day and thus the importance of green space.
In addition, every day en route home from school, I and my sisters would go for a walk (often reluctantly in true teenage fashion) around a London park. Our mother thought exercise and looking around at the trees and flowers would destress us and that a little more exercise would help us sleep better.
Playing outside, whether in a formal game or just as unstructured time out means you have to work together to share and to communicate, to be creative and curious.
I think this diminishing childhood contact with nature is rather sad so this weekend we are doing a little bit to try to translate a few inspirational moments from screen and books into something enjoyable outside.
41 Comments
Wise, wise, wise!!
Music to me ears! As a (retired) Early Years Educator, nature lover and book lover your words speak straight to my heart Lady Carnarvon!
Greetings from beautifully sunny Switzerland
Very kind
This is so true. I did all this, I loved it. I was hardly ever in as a child. I feel sorry for all the kids today.
As with us ...
Brings back wonderful memories of childhood!!! Visiting your beautiful home was a highlite of my trip with my granddaughter !! I'm 80 and had the trip of a lifetime
Thank you very much ! Come back soon
Oh how you just brought back my childhood memories of dens and really getting up to mischief. Also secret garden, l loved yours , it was so pleasant to walk round.lt is also my favourite book. Thankyou for reminding me.
Lovely the pictures of dens and did you and lord Carnarvon have a lovely weekend and lam fan of highcelere castle and Downton Abbey
what is lam fan, please?
Let their imaginations soar!
So true…happy childhood memories for us oldies
I’m 80 yrs old and remember playing outside all day. Home for lunch and then back out. We were required to,show our faces if an ambulance went to the lake; a short distance away, but once my mother knew we were all right we left again.it was a life few kids get nowadays. Wonderful article. Thank you.
I’m also 80 yrs old and have happy memories being gone all day (sandwich in my knapsack). Had to be home before dark. Wonderful memories! Thank you!
You brought back memories of my childhood, playing in the fields, blackberry picking and exploring in the woods. Great fun and children today are missing out.
Lady Carnarvon,
Steps into other times and places are surely good for the soul. Imagination in playtime, especially in hidden and original places outdoors, is a healthy part of childhood and for us older children! Thanks for an early morning step into ‘our’ worlds!
Martha G.
My summer holidays (1950’s) were happily spent with local friends in the fields surrounding us.
Belonging to a farm but our playground - one favourite area was adjacent to a river with ‘withy beds’ or willows (osiers!)
Warm days building ‘camps’ we were so lucky 😇
Now a great grandmother I wish those days were available to my great grandchildren If only …….
My dearest Lady Fiona,
Bonjour , from Brazil.
This is very true.
I love this.
Lovely pictures.
Lovely week too , my dear Lady Carnarvon.
Cheers.
The Princess of Wales would be so proud of you! She is a huge advocate of just what you're doing, in getting children out into the thrills (and benefits) of nature. It is truly a shame that so many children today don't know how much fun they can have, and how many exciting things they can learn if only they knew how to play outdoors! Thank you for providing such a wonderful experience for them!
I think we are trying!
How marvelous that you have your very own 'Secret Garden', even if it is announced as such! That also was my very favorite childhood book and I have often purchased copies for new young readers to enjoy. Oh, the magnificent delight of exploration and discovery, especially in the great out of doors during every one of our beautiful seasons! I pray that children everywhere will be touched by that special, lasting power of wonderment. May your events also open that fantastic portal to energetic, memory-making play!
Sounds like so much fun! The Secret Garden was one of my favourite books growing up. Alas, here in Canada we don't have walled gardens, to my huge disapointment! Ca
Why don't you start a walled garden somewhere?
What lovely memories! It was always my favorite dream to explore a castle and come across hidden rooms, priest holes, treasure rooms and other secret spaces. While those desires must remain only in my mind, it sounds like Highclere might have just a few of those hidden away.
On August 25, 2026 we finally made it to Highclere from Ohio in the USA. What a beautiful day we had at the castle from start to finish. As we stepped up to the line to go into the front door we were surprised and thrilled to see Lady Carnarvon pass us and continue to spend the afternoon working outside with her staff in the courtyard. It solidified the heart of the family for their generational home and the attention to detail that is noticeable everywhere that makes it a spectacular destination for history, elegance and community. Thank you for hosting all of us with grace and kindness. We saw it. We felt it and it was our favorite day on our 2 week trip. Remarkably no one approached her. We really enjoyed having our Victoria sponge with fresh a container of fresh strawberries outside behind the castle. The staff in the gift and food shop were exceptional at customer service with a smile and kind word. Everyone should visit Highclere Castle at least once in their life!
Hilarious I always think none recognises me!!!!
Freedom, fun, friendship and the seemingly endless summer holidays stretching out before us. We became feral children full of imagination, discovery, games, dirt and scrapes. Every season brought treasures in its wake. How glorious it was and we still share all those memories with anyone who cares to listen or experienced it with us. Thank you so much for sharing all this goodness too.
Thank you for that trip back in time. I, too, played outside as much as possible when I was growing up.
I will look for the book The Secret Garden. It sounds wonderful
It is sad to see how much children spend in front of a screen watching or playing games.
May 5, 2027, is when my friend and i hope to be there. We are so excited. She's been to Great Britain five times. I've never been out of the States!
Please do read the book - Frances Hodgson Burnett
Brought back so many memories of my childhood and the fun we had ,so lovely to read thank you
Our homeschooled seven grandchildren here have all been reared without a television ! They were not given their own phones until they were 14 or older, when they got their own house key and were able to watch over younger siblings responsibly.
They played and exercised frequently each day outside and although there was a computer available here for schoolwork and classroom participation, there has never been a video game here.
We are a three generation household and both parents also teach in co-op classes and and at home. We live in a beautiful area near the shores of Lake Michigan, and class trips with other families are abundantly available ! Our first one to enter university in Nebraska is a top athlete on the college roster and was “ dean’s list “ in his freshman year.
We have seen, firsthand, that joy of sibling companionship as you experienced it , as well as exceptional academic exposure without the sedentary seduction of social media and online activities !
Linda, I just read your post and it made me most extremely GLAD!! Thank you.
This brought back childhood memories of coming home from school, dropping my books and heading back outside to play until I was called in for supper! I am 73 years old and grew up in Nashville, TN. My children were Outdoor Kids and my grandchildren too. We believe in limited screen time and healthy sport activities. It's great to find others who feel the same!
It is sad that so many children today are missing out on the simple pleasure of dens, forts and secret places that we had so much fun growing up with. My favourite book is the Secret Garden and when our Stella was just 5 we bought a DVD of the Secret Garden. It was a much played film and was gifted to another family some years later and enjoyed immensely. Thank you for reminding me of just how much simple had as children. It was wonderful.
The Secret Garden is my favorite book. I named one of my sons, Colin. I have my Mother's copy of the book from the early 1900s. In summer my brothers and I would drag boards from collapsed cabins back to our mountain cabin to add on to our 3 story tree house. I had a lovely pretend kitchen where I made the most delightful mud cakes, decorated with pine needles and acorns.
That sounds familiar!
Having grown up in England, and my husband having grown up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania there were plenty of opportunities to get out and
explore
Kids miss this nowadays. Such a pity. And they'll regret when older.Thank you Lady Carnarvon,, for your reflections.
My childhood was spent outdoors, riding bikes, climbing trees,
and playing games with all the other children in the neighborhood.
Coming inside for dinner with grass-stained knees.
At 69, I have been gardening for 40 years. I've created my
own Secret Garden, using trees and plants, including azaleas,
a peony bush, and iris from my grandmothers' and my
great-grandmother's yards.
I'm in my garden every day for hours at a time.
I still climb trees to prune limbs. My husband doesn't want
me to keep doing it, so I climb the trees once he's not at
home!
Thank you for bringing back the memories.
I'm happy to say
that most of my grandkids are living and playing mostly in an outdoor world with their farm and 4H animals but I have also witnessed their remarkable
imagination as they play and interact. My own were also encouraged to be outside as was I. As an educator though I see what screen time has done to these
young imaginations and that is scary. I hope parents will wake up and limit this technology in the future and let kids be kids in the glorious outdoor world and
discover their own imaginative worlds instead of that fully created for them.
I grew up in Kent and remember how building a Den was a favourite childhood pastime - anywhere from a corner of a field, straw bales, old air raid shelters with "no entry" signs, and even an abandoned car ( a ford popular) which horrified my mother when we told her. We also enjoyed playing "houses" when my Dad would erect his old boy scout tent for us in the back garden. Added to that, my brother and me would go on long all day bike rides into the Kent countryside, armed with a diet of sweets bought with our pocket money, and knocking on doors if we wanted a drink! I'm pleased to say though, that my grand daughters in Canada are lucky to have a lot of outdoor space and woodland, and this summer built a "bakery" out of old logs.
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Sounds like a wonderful childhood and so much fun.
I think I was lucky
I was transported - thank you