Tom’s Midnight Garden

Back in January, the Upper School went to the Bloomsbury theatre in London to see the Birmingham Stage Company’s production of Philippa Pearce’s classic novel Tom’s Midnight Garden.

The book was written and set in 1958 and tells the story of a young boy called Tom who is sent to spend the summer holidays with his aunt and uncle as his brother has measles.
Tom’s aunt and uncle live in a flat in a large Victorian house but sadly the flat has no garden for Tom to while away the hours…. or so he thought.

One night as Tom was restlessly lying in bed the clock struck thirteen. “Hurry” the house seemed to say. Tom’s curiosity gets the better of him and he creeps down the stairs into the hall, opens the back door to the yard and finds to his great surprise a magical garden with sweeping lawns and flower beds filled with sweet smelling hyacinths. From then on Tom is transported each night into a magical world of yester year.

Philippa Pearce’s book has charmed adults and children alike for the past 60 years and continues to be a popular book study for children. At Lyonsdown Prep School, Year 5 study this book as part of their English curriculum, so for the present Year 6, it was a particularly special treat to see the play of the book that they read and enjoyed last year and for the rest of the girls, it gave them a taste of what is to come!
Mrs Windsor