Well hello everybody. Today we've come out to Lyndhurst in the New
Forest Hampshire on the trail of Alice. Now Alice who? That's the question.
We just need to walk around the corner and all be revealed.... Let's go
So here we are in the beautiful churchyard of St. Michael and All Angels in Lyndhurst
and we're standing by the family grave of the Hargreaves. I don't know if you can make it out,
it's pretty difficult to read right here. The grave is planted with roses, white roses and
red roses. They're not in flower yet, but that may give you a little clue.Let's go around the corner.
So here is what we've come to see and this is the plaque marking where the ashes of
Mrs Reginald Hargreaves were laid to rest. Now as you'll see,
Mrs Reginald Hargreaves was actually Alice Liddell who was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland
Well we have the church just behind us, now look at these repurposed headstones.
I think it's maybe a bench? What a clever idea.
Well look who's come to see us! I think we've got the Cheshire Cat come visiting.
So you've seen the grave and now I'm going to tell you the story of Alice Liddle, who inspired,
the wonderful, Alice in Wonderland
Alice Pleasance Liddell was the fourth of ten children born on the 4th of May
1852 in Westminster, London. Her father Henry Liddell was the Dean of Christchurch, Oxford
The Liddell family moved to Oxford in 1856
and soon afterwards, Alice met Charles Lutwidge Dodgson who we know today as Lewis Carroll.
Dodgson was 20 years older than Alice and spent much time with a large family of Liddells
whilst studying and teaching at Christchurch College in Oxford
On the 4th of July 1862 Alice and her sisters were in a rowing boat, enjoying a picnic with Charles
Dodson (Lewis Carroll) and asked him to tell them a story. Alice in Wonderland was born,
originally known as Alice's Adventures Underground. It was a similar story that Dodgson had told before, but on
this occasion Alice asked him to write it down.
The book was eventually published in 1865 with illustrations by John Tenniel.
Although during his lifetime Dodgson denied that the Alice of the book was based on Alice Liddell, there are four links in the two books.
Firstly they are set on the 4th of May which is Liddell's birthday which would make 4th of November her half birthday.
The doormouse tells a story which begins Once upon a time there were three little sisters,
their names were Elsie, Lacie and Tillie Little could certainly be heard as Liddell and Lacie
is an anagram of Alice. In later years Alice took the grand tour of Europe with her sisters Lorena
and Edith. Stories remain that she became romantically linked with Prince Leopold
the youngest son of Queen Victoria. During the four years he spent at Christchurch. It is a fact
that Leopold named his first child Alice and acted as Godfather to Alice's second son named Leopold.
Alice Liddell married Reginald Hargreaves in Westminster Abbey aged 28.
Her husband Reginald inherited a fortune, was a local magistrate and played cricket for Hampshire.
Alice became a society hostess and was the first President of the Emery Down
Women's Institute. They spent much of their married life living at Cuffnells in Lyndhurst.
In 1926 after her husband's death, it became increasingly difficult for Alice to maintain
Cuffnells, so in 1928 she sold at Sotheby's the manuscript of Alice's Adventures
Underground which raised the then enormous sum of £15,400, nearly four times the reserve price.
After her death in 1934, her ashes were buried in the graveyard of St. Michael and All Angels
in Lyndhurst as part of the Hargreaves family grave.
... and finally, let's look at the poem written towards the end of Through the Looking Glass with its hidden secret.
You can really visualise three little girls, enjoying story time floating along the river on a hot sunny day....