Two important writers, Sue Townsend, and Joe Orton, grew up on the Saffron Lane Estate.
Susan Lillian Townsend (1946-2014) was a writer and humourist whose work encompassed novels, plays, and works of journalism. She was best known for her 1982 book, “The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾”, which sold a million copies in its first year of publication, and sparked a best-selling series. As an adult Sue lived on the Eyres Monsell Estate. A journalist once wrote that,
"Her heart, it's clear from her books and a few hours in her company, is still with the people she left behind, the people who go largely unchronicled in literature, the people who are still her friends”.
Sue Townsend in 1990 (right)
Joe Orton (1933 to 1967) was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His family moved on to the Saffron Estate in 1935, when he was just 2 years old. He had an unhappy childhood, marred by his parent's frequent arguments, and as he grew older, society's prejudice against his homosexuality. Orton sought escape in drama and writing, culminating in a “golden period” between 1964 and his murder in 1967 when he shocked, outraged, and amused audiences with his scandalous black comedies. These included “Entertaining Mr Sloane”, “Loot” and “What the Butler Saw”.