To mark the 130th anniversary of Arthur Ransome's birth on Saturday 18th January, Stephen Sykes, the owner of Hill Top, Haverthwaite, the last home of Arthur Ransome, describes how the author has influenced his life. Stephen operates the Cottage at Hill Top as self-catering accommodation for “Swallows and Amazon” fans and Lake District lovers alike.

A former investment analyst and student of astrophysics, Stephen writes:

"How has Arthur Ransome influenced my life? Well, going on three years ago, my wife and I were looking for a place to retire to in the Lake District, one with potential for partial conversion to holiday accommodation. Though living in Kent, we already had a beautiful 16th century cottage at a tiny hamlet called Gawthwaite near Ulverston, and in fact just a couple of miles away from the Ransomes' short-lived home of Lowick Hall. Properties suitable for our needs seemed few and far between, until one day a real possibility came to our attention: a house called Hill Top.

Its age was similar to our own cottage and just a few miles distant, with a substantial barn-end crying out for conversion, and breathtaking views – although we only saw the mountains for the first time the day we moved in! There were also substantial grounds, and it was in a rural location but not a million miles from amenities … but (and there is always a but) for some decades it had been run as a boarding kennels, with three enormous outbuildings encroaching on the house. They were dour monstrosities, reminiscent (as we are fond of saying) of something from The Great Escape.

The house had been on the market for some while, but had elicited few enquiries, put off, no doubt, by the challenge of either continuing the business or “de-kennelling”. Hill Top, however, had one great intangible asset in its favour. One unique selling point – of no minor significance. This Hill Top – and the Lake District is peppered with Hill Tops, as any fan of Beatrix Potter will tell you – once belonged to Arthur and Evgenia Ransome. Bought by them in 1960, it was Arthur Ransome's last home.

As an occasional author myself, this seemed just about as perfect as one could expect. A view to die for, a wonderful property in its own right, plenty of potential for conversion of a part to guest accommodation, the cachet of once having been the home of a famous author, the pleasure of planning a bespoke reversion to a private residence, and a brand new interest: research into a former eminent owner. Perfect! And what house owner can then unearth a large collection of photographs of their home half a century ago and with their famous owners in glorious colour, both inside and outside the house? We can and we did! Even more perfect!

I am afraid that I have to admit to not having read “Swallows and Amazons” as a child, and it is the man himself who holds the fascination for me, and what he was beyond the realms of his best known works. I suppose that living in his former home adds an undeniable impetus to wanting to know about the Arthur Ransome behind the story-telling.

And would we have bought the house were it not for the Ransome connection? Certainly. But it is a wonderful talking point! And what of our house in Kent? We sold that to a Russian couple. Of course, they were very amused to know that Hill Top was once the home of Trotsky's personal secretary. And here's a nice thing: both Russian ladies were called Evgenia – Genia to their respective husbands. Perfect!"