Gloria asked Gloria Gay:

I too am a Rebecca fan!!!!! I would like to know if Manderley was a real place or what was it based on?

Gloria Gay Hi, Gloria,
I was kind of obsessed with "Rebecca" and had read it several times, so I wrote a letter to Daphne DuMaurier, and asked her if Manderley was real or if it was just her imagination, because to me, Manderley seemed very real. I told her I was an aspiring writer, etc.
Ms. DuMaurier surprised me by answering my letter! Not only that, but she sent me a couple of snapshots. One was of the estate where she and her husband had lived and which in part had inspired "Rebecca". The estate was called "Menabilly" and to her and her husband's sadness the 20-year lease expired and the owner would not renew. She and her husband then moved to "Kilmarth", a similar house as Menabilly. She included a photo of Kilmarth.
She also told me that the larger idea of Manderley came from another estate she had visited when she was about eleven or so, called "Milton" in the Midlands (England).
I wish I could include here a copy of her letter and the two photos she sent me but I think even letters and photographs are copyrighted. I think the recipient may own them but cannot publish them. Ms. DuMaurier's brothers own the copyrights of her works and I think that includes her letters. I will try to find out from an attorney friend and if she tells me it's all right to publish my letter and photos I will do so at a later date on this site.
Thank you for your letter. I really appreciated it!

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