Queen Camilla visits author of Black Beauty Anna Sewell’s house in Norfolk, know more about the famous writer

The Queen visited the Anna Sewell House in Norfolk. Sewell was born in the house on Church Plain in Great Yarmouth in 1820, the custodianship of which was granted to Redwings House sanctuary last year.

During the visit, she had the opportunity to look at early editions of Black Beauty–a personal lifelong favourite book– and meet volunteers who take care of the house these days.

In Great Yarmouth, The Queen has explored the house of the beloved author of Black Beauty, Anna Sewell.

Here, Her Majesty saw early editions of the book – a childhood favourite – and met volunteers who look after the house today. pic.twitter.com/9ekocme5Qo

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 24, 2023

The Redwings charity hopes to use the house to showcase Sewell’s incredible legacy not just in literature but in the world of animal welfare as Black Beauty played a pivotal role in make wholesome changes to the way horses were thought of and treated.

Black Beauty was one of the first English novels to be written from the horse’s perspective and one of the select few novels that have sold more than 50 million copies globally. Sewell died less than a year after it was published in 1877.

Know more about the legacy of Anna Sewell

Black Beauty was one of the first English novels to be written from the horse’s perspective. (Source: Amazon.in)

Sewell born in Yarmouth, Norfolk, England on March 30, 1820, was a British novelist who has only published one book–Black Beauty–to her name.

Her introduction to writing began in her youth when she helped edit the works of her mother–Mary Wright Sewell–who was herself an author of poetry and children’s book. She was largely educated at home by her mother due to a lack of finances for formal schooling.

Crippled at a young age, as she fell while walking home from school and broke both of her ankles, Sewell had difficulty walking. However, she could still drive a horse-drawn carriage.

Sewell’s concern for the humane treatment of horses began at an early age when she spent many hours driving her father to and from the station for work. Being dependent on horse-drawn carriages to get around, Sewell developed an empathy for horses.

She spent the last seven or eight years of her life–confined to her house due to her declining health–writing Black Beauty. She had such difficult writing that she was compelled to dictate it to her mother. The book, a fictional autobiography of a gentle highbred horse, had a strong message and is said to have helped abolish the cruel practice of using the checkrein.

Black Beauty is now considered one of the top ten bestselling children’s books of all time. With millions of copies sold, the book has been translated into a multitude of languages.

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