Anna Sewell House

Anna Sewell House in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, dates back to the 16th or 17th century and was the birthplace of Anna Sewell, author of beloved novel Black Beauty, in 1820. Redwings became custodians of the building in 2022 and we’re using this beautiful property to showcase the profound influence of Anna and her famous book on animal welfare, as well as our own work and how we’re continuing her legacy today.

Anna Sewell House has attracted interest from Black Beauty fans across the world, including Her Majesty The Queen who paid a special visit in 2023.

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More about Black Beauty

Did you know Black Beauty has another connection to Norfolk? As well as being authored by Anna Sewell, who was born here in Great Yarmouth, it was produced by Norfolk publishing house Jarrolds.

The novel was published in 1877 and was one of the first to be written from the perspective of an animal. It is now one of the most successful books of all time, having never been out of print since its publication and selling over 50 million copies worldwide.

Not just a literary success, Black Beauty went on to profoundly shape attitudes towards animal welfare. On the purpose of the novel, Anna said herself she wanted to 'induce kindness, sympathy and an understanding treatment of horses'.

We have produced two leaflets providing further information about the Sewell family and the fascinating history of Anna Sewell House, which you can download below.

The history of the Sewell family (PDF 160 KB)

The history of Anna Sewell House (PDF 2.2 MB)

During your visit, why not take a walk around the surrounding area and discover what Anna's corner of Great Yarmouth would have looked like when she was a child?

Anna's Walk (PDF 4.0 MB)

For the love of horses - and books!

We are collaborating with The University of East Anglia to publish a special edition of Black Beauty this year! It has been produced to mark the 40th anniversary of Redwings in 2024.

This is the first time sales from an edition of the book are directly benefitting horses in need, with 50% of the proceeds from every copy sold directly supporting our work across the UK.

The book launched on November 24th 2023, the anniversary of the original publication of Black Beauty, and will directly help to raise funds and support the horses, ponies, donkeys and mules in our care – benefitting the animals Anna loved so much! Last year we gave a home to 109 horses and ponies who needed help and our field officers identified and intervened in 175 cases, improving the lives of 622 of these wonderful animals.

It has a foreword by Dame Jacqueline Wilson and an afterword by Professor Thomas Ruys Smith of the University of East Anglia, a specialist in Victorian literature.

This very special edition is available now from the UEA Publishing Project, and all good online retailers!

The Queen on a recent visit to the Anna Sewell house

“Anna Sewell House is an iconic building in our town with a rich history and important heritage. We are absolutely delighted that Redwings is the new guardian of the building. With Redwings’ vital role in animal welfare, we are sure this move will help ensure the building continues to be a key asset for both residents and visitors to Great Yarmouth.”

Councillor Graham Plant

Mayor of Great Yarmouth

“The text is based on the first edition of Black Beauty that Anna hand-dedicated to her aunts, which is now located at the Norfolk Heritage centre. It is designed to be as accessible as possible, produced in a font commissioned by the Braille institute, and will be entirely produced and printed in Norfolk. We hope that this special Redwings edition, putting Anna’s novel to work in the service of the horses she so loved, means we might finally be able to come to a proper reckoning with Norfolk’s most successful literary export.”

Professor Thomas Ruys Smith

The University of East Anglia

"Having lived in Great Yarmouth all my life, I have never had the opportunity to go inside Anna Sewell's House. It was lovely to be able to actually step inside where she was born. The ladies who staffed it were very helpful and answered all our questions."