It’s World Book Day today which means children across the UK and Ireland will be dressing up as their favourite fictional characters to celebrate reading.

World Book Day aims to encourage children of all ages to explore the wonders of books and classrooms across the country will be flooded with Harry Potters and Peter Pans.

But did you know some of south east London’s boroughs - from Bromley to Greenwich - have been home to a handful of world-famous authors?

Here are five of south east London’s most famous authors:

Cecil Day-Lewis

Author Cecil Day-Lewis lived in Greenwich from 1957-1972 and there is now a blue plaque commemorating the Anglo-Irish writer at 6 Croom’s Hill, SE18 8ER.

Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton is one of the world’s best known children’s authors and her works including The Secret Seven, The Famous Five and The Faraway Tree have sold more than 600 million copies.

The author lived in Shortlands between 1926 and 1929.

There is now a blue plaque located at 83 Shortlands Road in memory of her.

This Is Local London: Calls for Enid Blyton statue in Beckenham

H.G. Wells

Now a Primark, the shop’s location in Bromley was the birthplace of War of the Worlds author H.G. Wells.

He was born in Bromley on September 21, 1866.

This Is Local London:

Bernardine Evaristo

In 2019, Bernardine Evaristo became both the first black woman and first black British person to win the Booker Prize in 2019 for her novel Girl, Woman, Other.

Although she was born in Eltham, Evaristo grew up in Woolwich and her father Julius Taiwo Bayomi Evaristo was Labour’s first black Councillor for Greenwich borough.

Roald Dahl

When he wasn’t away at boarding school, Welsh-born author Roald Dahl lived in Bexley.

Between 1927 and 1934 the world-famous author resided at a house in Hurst Road, Bexley at the junction with Parkwood Road.

His most famous children's novels include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and Matilda to name just a few.

This Is Local London: Roald Dahl

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