John was one of Britain’s most successful playwrights and
completed about 40 plays. I found his home about two miles from Clun village in
unspoilt countryside. It's up a long drive and it was here where he enjoyed a
few domestically-calmer years. It's now The John Osborne Arvon Centre - a
retreat for writers who want to mix with others and hopefully draw some of
John's magic out of the walls and into their fountain pens. Thankfully nobody
came out to wonder what all the saluting was about. I had a meander in the
gardens which were a blaze of colour thanks to some well-planted wild flower
seeds. Round the side I saw how capacious the building was by its depth. It was
once a gentleman's residence surrounded by 26 acres of woodland but now it
houses 16 bedrooms for people paying to complete writing courses.