Lamb House
Lamb House is an 18th-century house situated in Rye, East Sussex, England, and in the ownership of the National Trust.
The house has literary connections. It was the home of Henry James from 1898 to 1916, and later of E.F. Benson and Rumer Godden. Benson writes lovingly of both garden and house, renamed "Mallards", in his "Mapp and Lucia" novels. The publisher Sir Brian Batsford, the literary agent Graham Watson and the writers John Senior and Sarah Philo have also held the tenancy. Some of James's personal possessions can be seen and there is a walled garden.
In 2006 Lamb House was subject to extensive exterior refurbishment including the application of bird control proofing measures to prevent seagulls from nesting and blocking the internal parapet drainage systems. The measures included the use of a new technique of horizontal parallel wires to prevent gulls from landing. Several sections of stonework and the copper roof were replaced. The works lasted for 3 months, from April to June. The house is administered and maintained on the Trust's behalf by its current tenant.
Lamb House is the subject of Joan Aiken's book The Haunting of Lamb House (1993), comprising 3 novellas about residents of the house at different times, including James.
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Coordinates: 50°57′00″N 0°43′58″E / 50.9499°N 0.7327°E