The Magician's House

William Corlett wrote four children's fantasy books in the early 1990s, collectively called *The Magician's House*. The stories centre on the Constant siblings—William, Mary, and Alice—who spend their school holidays at Golden House, a large 16th-century country home near Wales. Their parents are abroad doing humanitarian work, so the children stay with their uncle Jack and his partner Phoebe. Over roughly ten months, each book covers a traditional British school break: *The Steps up the Chimney* takes place over winter and Christmas, *The Door in the Tree* during spring and Easter, *The Tunnel behind the Waterfall* across the long summer holiday, and *The Bridge in the Clouds* in the autumn half-term. The series focuses on industrial development, ecological issues, and animal rights—such as badger baiting, fox hunting, and development—alongside a blend of present-day and historical settings. This gives it a feel closer to urban fantasy than simple contemporary fantasy. Though it does not directly reference Welsh myths, the strong role of nature and the rural setting recall British authors like Elizabeth Goudge, Alan Garner, and Susan Cooper, who more explicitly draw on British myth and legend. Two television mini-series were produced in 1999, directed by Paul Lynch, with Jennifer Saunders and Stephen Fry voicing some animal characters. In the first book, the children arrive at Golden House for Christmas and learn that Jack and Phoebe plan to turn it into a hotel. Most of the house is uninhabitable, and the children dislike Phoebe, who is pregnant and unmarried—a shock to their conservative views. They also discover that Jack and Phoebe are vegetarian, a lifestyle the children must respect. While exploring, they find hidden steps behind the main fireplace leading to a secret room where they meet Stephen Tyler, an Elizabethan alchemist from 400 years earlier. He is not seeking gold but needs their help. The plot follows the early arrival of Phoebe’s baby during a snowstorm, which isolates the house. Jack and William set out for help, while Mary and Alice protect Phoebe from an evil rat sent by the main villain, Matthew Morden, a ruthless developer. William learns he can speak to and travel with animals, first with a fox named Cinnabar; Alice does the same with a stray dog, Spot; and later Mary travels with an owl, Jasper.