Shaw’s Corner, Herts

National Trust.
The house is undistinguished, but is filled with fascinating mementoes of the great Irish dramatist and critic. Apart from the museum room, which shows gems such as the Oscar that Shaw was awarded in 1938 for the screenplay for the film version of Pygmalion, and his membership card for the Cyclists’ Touring Club, the house is still arranged very much as it was in his day. The rear garden is of a considerable size, and contains a curious rotating shed in which Shaw did much of his writing. The trees have grown rather bigger than they were in Shaw’s day, transforming parts of the garden into a small wood.
I enjoyed my visit to the house and garden, and departed much better informed about Shaw than I was when I arrived. Despite its proximity to London and some large towns, the village can only be accessed by some narrow and twisty roads, but the small NT car park can be very busy.