Margaret Hale in North and South grew up in Helstone, aka New Forest in Southern Hampshire, south of London. New Forest is indeed a magical spot likened to a setting in a Tennyson poem, perhaps English Idylls (1842) with poems including "Audley Court" and "The Gardener's Daughter."  Known for its rare birds and ponies, it is now the site of a National Park. (CG)