ONE of Britain ’s best known 20th century writers, Dame Daphne du Maurier died on 19 April 1989 aged 81.

Her most famous book Rebecca was published in 1938 and its opening line:

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again” is one of the most evocative in literary history.

The gothic novel was set in her beloved Cornwall - an inspiration for much of her work, including Jamaica Inn and The Birds, both of which were made into movies by Alfred Hitchcock.

Her success as a novelist, playwright and biographer brought her wealth and celebrity, but she shunned publicity, which led her to being labelled a recluse.

Daphne du Maurier was born in London on 13 May 1907 , the daughter of George and Muriel du Maurier.

Hers was a wealthy and creative family. Her grandfather was writer and Punch cartoonist George du Maurier and her father, with whom she is said to have had a difficult relationship, was a renowned actor manager.

She attended schools in London and France and her youth was spent travelling in Europe with friends and indulging a passion for sailing. Her ambition to be a full- time writer was aided by her uncle, who published one of her stories in his magazine and found her a literary agent.

Her first book The Loving Spirit was written when she was 21 and like many of her novels it was set in Cornwall , where her parents had a holiday home. The book was also a catalyst for her marriage to Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick “Boy” Browning, who was so moved by it that he sailed to Fowey to meet the author.

Theirs was a happy marriage, though there have been whispers about her alleged lesbianism or what Dame Daphne called “Venetian tendencies”. These are said to have prompted an affair with Gertrude Lawrence.

The couple and their three children Christian, Tessa and Flavia, made Cornwall their home in 1943, where Dame Daphne managed to secure a lease for Menabilly, a mansion widely recognised as the inspiration for Manderley.

Here she continued to cement her success with books including My Cousin Rachel and The Glassblowers, which was based on her French ancestry.

After what had been a charmed life, the death of her husband in 1965 after 33 years of marriage hit her hard and there was more heartache in 1969 when the lease on Menabilly expired and she was forced to move to a Kilmarth, a house nearby.

Her desire to write remained strong and that same year she was made a Dame of the British Empire for her work.

She remains one of the nation’s favourite authors and her books, full of atmosphere and suspense, have been hailed as much more than romantic fiction.

After her death in 1989, her ashes were scattered on the cliffs near her home, which was fitting for someone who never wanted to leave the rugged coast.

In her book about the area, Vanishing Cornwall, she wrote: “ Here was the freedom I desired, long sought-for, not yet known. Freedom to write, to walk, to wander, freedom to climb hills, to pull a boat, to be alone.”