My Life In Houses

My Life In Houses

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

I Was A Lucky Girl

20141124

20141125 (R4)

I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl.

So begins Margaret Forster's journey through the houses she's lived in, from the sparkling new council house, built as part of a utopian vision by Carlisle City Council, to her beloved London house of today, via Oxford, Hampstead and the Lake District. Forster's houses aren't just bricks and mortar, but homes which have all meant something to her and which have all had a profound effect on her - from her writer's 'room of one's own', to the family hub and finally a sanctuary in times of illness. It is also a sideways look at the life of one of the greatest contemporary British novelists.

Born in Carlisle, Margaret Forster is the author of many successful and acclaimed novels, including Have the Men Had Enough?, Lady's Maid, Diary of an Ordinary Woman, Is There Anything You Want?, Keeping the World Away, and Over, bestselling memoirs (Hidden Lives and Precious Lives) and biographies. She is married to writer and journalist Hunter Davies and lives in London and the Lake District.

Read by Sian Thomas.

Writer: Margaret Forster

Abridger: Sally Marmion

First broadcast on BBC Radio in November 2014.

Margaret is born in the front bedroom of a sparkling new council house in Carlisle.

A Room Of One's Own

20141125

20141126 (R4)

The studious young Margaret Forster makes it to Oxford, and a 'room of one's own'.

I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl.

So began Margaret Forster's journey through the houses she's lived in, from the sparkling new council house, built as part of a utopian vision by Carlisle City Council, to her beloved London house of today, via Oxford, Hampstead and the Lake District. Forster's houses aren't just bricks and mortar, but homes which have all meant something to her and which have all had a profound effect on her - from her writer's 'room of one's own', to the family hub and finally a sanctuary in times of illness. It is also a sideways look at the life of one of the greatest contemporary British novelists.

Read by Sian Thomas.

Writer: Margaret Forster

Abridger: Sally Marmion

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014.

The studious young Forster makes it to Oxford, and a 'room of one's own'.

In Need Of Modernisation

20141126

20141127 (R4)

The wreck that becomes the family home.

I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl.

Read by Sian Thomas.

Writer: Margaret Forster

Abridger: Sally Marmion

First broadcast on BBC Radio in November 2014.

How a wreck turns into a family home. Read by Sian Thomas.

Secure And Safe

20141127

20141128 (R4)

After the frenzy of North London life in the 1960s, a fairy-tale cottage in the North of England offers rest and refuge.

I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl.

So began Margaret Forster's journey through the houses she's lived in, from the sparkling new council house, built as part of a utopian vision by Carlisle City Council, to her beloved London house of today, via Oxford, Hampstead and the Lake District. Forster's houses aren't just bricks and mortar, but homes which have all meant something to her and which have all had a profound effect on her. It is also a sideways look at the life of one of the greatest contemporary British novelists.

Read by Sian Thomas.

Writer: Margaret Forster

Abridger: Sally Marmion

First broadcast on BBC Radio in November 2014.

After the thrills of 60s London living, a fairytale cottage offers refuge.

05 LAST

Inside My House, I Can Cope

20141128

20141129 (R4)

As Margaret Forster's struggle with cancer continues, she reflects the importance of home, and why, inside her own home, she can cope.

I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl.

So began Margaret Forster's journey through the houses she's lived in, from the sparkling new council house, built as part of a utopian vision by Carlisle City Council, to her beloved London house of today, via Oxford, Hampstead and the Lake District. As well as a poignant reflection on home and the effect of home on us, My Life in Houses is also a sideways look at the life of one of the greatest contemporary British novelists.

Concluded by Sian Thomas.

Writer: Margaret Forster

Abridger: Sally Marmion

First broadcast on BBC Radio in November 2014.

As Forster's struggle with cancer continues, she reflects on the importance of home to her

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	I Was A Lucky Girl	20141124	20141125 (R4)	I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl. So begins Margaret Forster's journey through the houses she's lived in, from the sparkling new council house, built as part of a utopian vision by Carlisle City Council, to her beloved London house of today, via Oxford, Hampstead and the Lake District. Forster's houses aren't just bricks and mortar, but homes which have all meant something to her and which have all had a profound effect on her - from her writer's 'room of one's own', to the family hub and finally a sanctuary in times of illness. It is also a sideways look at the life of one of the greatest contemporary British novelists. Born in Carlisle, Margaret Forster is the author of many successful and acclaimed novels, including Have the Men Had Enough?, Lady's Maid, Diary of an Ordinary Woman, Is There Anything You Want?, Keeping the World Away, and Over, bestselling memoirs (Hidden Lives and Precious Lives) and biographies. She is married to writer and journalist Hunter Davies and lives in London and the Lake District. Read by Sian Thomas. Writer: Margaret Forster Abridger: Sally Marmion First broadcast on BBC Radio in November 2014. Margaret is born in the front bedroom of a sparkling new council house in Carlisle.
02	A Room Of One's Own	20141125	20141126 (R4)	The studious young Margaret Forster makes it to Oxford, and a 'room of one's own'. I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl. So began Margaret Forster's journey through the houses she's lived in, from the sparkling new council house, built as part of a utopian vision by Carlisle City Council, to her beloved London house of today, via Oxford, Hampstead and the Lake District. Forster's houses aren't just bricks and mortar, but homes which have all meant something to her and which have all had a profound effect on her - from her writer's 'room of one's own', to the family hub and finally a sanctuary in times of illness. It is also a sideways look at the life of one of the greatest contemporary British novelists. Read by Sian Thomas. Writer: Margaret Forster Abridger: Sally Marmion First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2014. The studious young Forster makes it to Oxford, and a 'room of one's own'.
03	In Need Of Modernisation	20141126	20141127 (R4)	The wreck that becomes the family home. I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl. So began Margaret Forster's journey through the houses she's lived in, from the sparkling new council house, built as part of a utopian vision by Carlisle City Council, to her beloved London house of today, via Oxford, Hampstead and the Lake District. Forster's houses aren't just bricks and mortar, but homes which have all meant something to her and which have all had a profound effect on her - from her writer's 'room of one's own', to the family hub and finally a sanctuary in times of illness. It is also a sideways look at the life of one of the greatest contemporary British novelists. Read by Sian Thomas. Writer: Margaret Forster Abridger: Sally Marmion First broadcast on BBC Radio in November 2014. How a wreck turns into a family home. Read by Sian Thomas.
04	Secure And Safe	20141127	20141128 (R4)	After the frenzy of North London life in the 1960s, a fairy-tale cottage in the North of England offers rest and refuge. I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl. So began Margaret Forster's journey through the houses she's lived in, from the sparkling new council house, built as part of a utopian vision by Carlisle City Council, to her beloved London house of today, via Oxford, Hampstead and the Lake District. Forster's houses aren't just bricks and mortar, but homes which have all meant something to her and which have all had a profound effect on her. It is also a sideways look at the life of one of the greatest contemporary British novelists. Read by Sian Thomas. Writer: Margaret Forster Abridger: Sally Marmion First broadcast on BBC Radio in November 2014. After the thrills of 60s London living, a fairytale cottage offers refuge.
05 LAST	Inside My House, I Can Cope	20141128	20141129 (R4)	As Margaret Forster's struggle with cancer continues, she reflects the importance of home, and why, inside her own home, she can cope. I was born on May 25, 1938, in the front bedroom of a house in Orton Road, on the outer edges of Raffles, a council estate. I was a lucky girl. So began Margaret Forster's journey through the houses she's lived in, from the sparkling new council house, built as part of a utopian vision by Carlisle City Council, to her beloved London house of today, via Oxford, Hampstead and the Lake District. As well as a poignant reflection on home and the effect of home on us, My Life in Houses is also a sideways look at the life of one of the greatest contemporary British novelists. Concluded by Sian Thomas. Writer: Margaret Forster Abridger: Sally Marmion First broadcast on BBC Radio in November 2014. As Forster's struggle with cancer continues, she reflects on the importance of home to her