Mollie Greenhalgh Hardwick (7 March 1916 in

Prestwich Prestwich ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, north of Salford and south of Bury. Historically part of Lancashire, Prestwich was the seat of the ancient parish o ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

– 13 December 2003), also known as Mary Atkinson, was an English

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

who was best known for writing books that accompanied the TV series '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. Hardwick began her career as a radio announcer at the BBC in the 1940s, and following the Second World War worked in the corporation's drama department until 1962. As well as writing ''Upstairs, Downstairs'', ''

Thomas & Sarah ''Thomas & Sarah'' is a British drama series that aired on ITV in 1979. A spin-off from the BAFTA Award-winning series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'', it stars John Alderton and Pauline Collins reprising their ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' roles. Back ...

'' and ''

The Duchess of Duke Street ''The Duchess of Duke Street'' is a BBC television drama series set in London between the late 1800s and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, previously the producer of the ITV period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. It starred Gemma Jo ...

'', she was also the creator of the ''Doran Fairweather'' novels and wrote three ''

Juliet Bravo ''Juliet Bravo'' is a British television police procedural drama series, first broadcast on 30 August 1980, that ran for six series and a total of 88 episodes on BBC1. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over con ...

'' books. Hardwick also wrote many books and plays based on the

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

stories, and a couple of biographies on

Lady Emma Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy men ...

and

Mary Anne Disraeli Mary Anne Disraeli, 1st Viscountess Beaconsfield (; 11 November 1792 – 15 December 1872) was a British peeress and society figure who was the wife of the British statesman Benjamin Disraeli. Biography Born in Brampford Speke, near Exeter ...

. She married fellow author

Michael Hardwick John Michael Drinkrow Hardwick (10 September 1924 in Leeds, Yorkshire − 4 March 1991), known as Michael Hardwick, was an English author who was best known for writing books and radio plays which featured Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation Sherlo ...

in 1961 and together they co-wrote numerous books, mostly relating to Sherlock Holmes but also a number on

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

. The couple lived in a medieval house in a village in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. She died after a fire broke out at her flat in

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, East Finchl ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 2003.

References

''The Times''

External links

Mollie Hardwick
at Fantastic Fiction
Obituary in ''The Stage''
1916 births 2003 deaths English women novelists English women dramatists and playwrights People from Prestwich 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights {{England-writer-stub