Sewell Barn Theatre space for presentations, meetings and other private hire uses. Originally the barn belonged to Clare House which was owned by Philip Sewell, a local benefactor, from 1864 to 1906. Anna Sewell, author of the children’s story "Black Beauty", was Philip’s sister and lived in the White House, Spixworth Road, Spixworth. Philip owned a mare called Black Bess which used to draw his carriage along Spixworth Road and it might be supposed that Bess was the original inspiration for Black Beauty, and the barn a prototype for Black Beauty’s stable. The book was published by Jarrolds in 1877. Philip Sewell died
William Sewell (poet) William Sewell (poet) William Seymour (Bill) Sewell (1 December 1951 – 29 January 2003) was a New Zealand poet. He was a Burns Fellow at Otago University, Dunedin in 1981–82. He was a frequent reviewer of books, particularly for the periodical "New Zealand Books", to which he was appointed co-editor in 1997. He was also a book editor. He died of cancer in Wellington. He published three collections of poems: "Solo Flight" (1982), "Wheels within Wheels" (1983) and "Making the Far Land Glow" (1986) and also "A Guide to the Rimutaka Forest Park" (1989). His poems have a link to