Writers at work: Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl (1916 - 1990) in the tiny writing hut at the bottom of his garden, circa 1980s.

He filled the untidy hut with his ideas and inspirations, and kept a jar of his own spinal shavings on his desk.

An article published in 2005 in The New Yorker stated that the walls of the hut (which has been preserved) are stained a brownish colour from the countless cigarettes Dahl smoked.