Frankenstein’s bolthole: Peaceful riverside retreat where author Mary Shelley …

Albion House in Marlow is where Mary Shelley completed ‘Frankenstein’
Mary married Percy in 1816 and secured a 21-year lease on the house
But they only stayed there for one year as they were fond of travelling
Shelley Lodge, Grade II listed house, is for sale with Savills for £995,000

Brian Claridge For The Mail On Sunday

Published:
21:09 GMT, 30 May 2015

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Updated:
22:32 GMT, 30 May 2015

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The words could not be more evocative of peace and tranquillity: ‘I am now on the point of taking a lease on a house among these woody hills, these sweet green fields and this delightful river.’

They were written by the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, about the house he and his wife Mary were to move into in 1817.

So it is ironic that the property in question – Albion House in Marlow, on the River Thames in Buckinghamshire – was where Mary completed what is regarded as the greatest horror story of all time, Frankenstein.

Shelley Lodge (far left picture) is for sale with Savills for £995,000. It is Grade II listed and has four bedrooms, three reception rooms, an integrated garage and a garden

The Shelleys married in 1816 and secured a 21-year lease on Albion House, but they would occupy it for only a year.

The Shelleys never stayed in one place for long – they were fond of travelling around Europe, but also dogged by the threat of creditors, as well as sadness at the survival of only one of their five children.

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However, Percy is said to have been extremely fond of Marlow, especially the walk upstream to Medmenham Abbey, which Mary described as one of his favourite retreats.

In the winter, the Romantic poet could be seen walking round Marlow wearing a long brown coat with lambswool collar and cuffs, while in the summer he would defy convention by wearing an open-necked shirt with no cravat, when cravats were the norm.

Similarly, he often wore no hat, at a time when men were regarded as undressed without one. Albion House, which is believed to date from the mid-1700s, was split into four, separate, white-stuccoed houses a century ago, each with its own name. There is Shelley Lodge, Shelley House and Shelley Cottage, with one keeping the name Albion House.

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at the property – (right) is Boris Karloff in the 1931 adaptation of the book

A commemorative plaque on the building states: ‘The Poet and Playwright Percy Bysshe Shelley and his wife Mary, authoress of Frankenstein, lived here 1817-1818.’

Now one – Shelley Lodge – is for sale with Savills for £995,000. It is Grade II listed and has four bedrooms, three reception rooms, an integrated garage and a garden.

The dining room has terracotta tiled floors and a fireplace with marble surround. The large sitting room also has a fireplace, and double doors leading to a secluded garden.

The house is within walking distance of Marlow town centre. The owners are Don and Karen Thomson. ‘We loved the house the first time we came to view it,’ says Don, 62, who until recently was chief executive for Celador Radio, which owns a number of stations.

‘We were attracted by its charm and character, along with its rich literary history,’ says Karen, 57, who works for Clear Channel TV.

The dining room at Shelley Lodge, part of the old Albion House where writer Mary Shelley lived

PROPERTY AT A GLANCE

Price – £995,000

Location – Marlow, Buckinghamshire

Bedrooms – 4

Unique features – Former home of poet Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley. She finished her novel Frankenstein here.

Mary Shelley had started writing Frankenstein the summer before the couple moved to Albion House. The Shelleys had visited Percy’s fellow poet Lord Byron near Lake Geneva, and Byron had proposed that they each write a ghost story.

Apart from becoming a literary classic, the novel – published in 1818 – has inspired many film versions, including the 1930s classic with Boris Karloff as Frankenstein’s monster.

Mary Shelley was left a widow at 24 when Percy drowned in a boating accident. She continued to publish her works to support her and her son.

As for the Thomsons, they are planning to move to neighbouring Henley-on-Thames, though admit they will miss Marlow, where they’ve lived for more than 21 years.

savills.com, 01491 843001