House Rules & Spectral Snacks

Wytchwood Manor is the independent home of October Jones: a place devoted to children’s literature and illustration, libraries, reading, resources and the spooky, kooky, magical, fantastical, weird and wonderful things found around and in them.

The Manor is independently curated by me.

I read the books, select and build the collections and exhibitions, make all editorial decisions and write the reviews, articles and other published editorial material throughout the site.

The opinions wandering around the Manor are therefore mine, personal and independent. They are not affiliated with any company, organisation or business.

The original illustrated world of Wytchwood Manor was created in collaboration with the incredible artist Anastasia.

Anastasia was commissioned as a professional artist and fairly compensated for her work. Her hand, imagination and artistry are an integral part of the Manor, and I am enormously proud to have her work living here.

Unless otherwise confirmed, copyright in Anastasia’s original artwork remains with Anastasia. The artwork was commissioned for and is used throughout Wytchwood Manor with permission.

Copyright and permission to use an artwork do not erase authorship: Anastasia is the artist.

Her work should not be extracted from the Manor, copied, reproduced, adapted, sold or otherwise reused without the appropriate permission.

Please admire the ghosts. Please do not nick the ghosts!

I have tried to make Wytchwood Manor as accessible, readable and comfortable to explore as I reasonably can.

Accessibility has been considered as a foundational part of the Manor’s design rather than added as an afterthought.

That includes clear and readable text, predominantly plain backgrounds, consistent navigation and page structures, avoiding unnecessary visual clutter and, to the best of my knowledge, avoiding flashing or rapidly moving content.

I also recognise that accessibility is individual. Different people can have different, and sometimes conflicting, access requirements, and I cannot promise that one website will accommodate every person or every need.

If something in the Manor creates an access barrier for you, please do let me know through Owl-Mail. Where a reasonable improvement can be made, I’m very happy to investigate it!

Age labels throughout the Manor are intended as helpful guidance, not forced barriers!

Children are individual readers. Reading ability, interests, emotional readiness and the things they find frightening, funny or fascinating vary enormously.

Families, educators, librarians and young readers themselves are encouraged to make the choices that work for them.

Resources featured in the Manor have been deliberately selected because they are free to access.

I have intentionally excluded resources requiring a paid membership, subscription or hidden paywall to access the material being recommended. Only free.

Some resources live on external websites which may offer their own paid products, services, memberships or additional material. Their presence elsewhere on that website does not constitute an endorsement by Wytchwood Manor.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, I do not own these resources. Copyright remains with their respective creators and rights holders.

External websites are also unruly little creatures. Resources can move, disappear or become paywalled. If something that was free when it entered the Manor has since vanished behind a toll bridge, please send an Owl-Mail and I’ll investigate.

Wytchwood Manor contains links to libraries, booksellers, publishers, creators, organisations and other external websites.

I choose and check these links with care, but once you leave the Manor, I cannot control another website’s content, availability, accessibility, privacy practices or future changes.

A link is therefore a useful doorway rather than ownership or responsibility for everything on the other side.

Wytchwood Manor is human-led, human-curated and built around professional judgement, original creative work and properly credited sources.

Digital and technical tools have been used only to support website development, organisation, accessibility and the practical management of a large catalogue.

These tools do not replace professional judgement or determine what is published. Sources are checked, changes are reviewed and final responsibility remains with me.

Wytchwood Manor respects the privacy of its visitors.

The full details of cookies, website data and any information submitted through Owl-Mail will reflect the technologies actually operating within the live Manor.

I aim to collect only information that is necessary for the website to function and for me to respond when somebody chooses to contact me.

I do not sell visitors’ personal information.

I do not use personal information submitted through the Manor to create advertising profiles, and there are no paid advertisements on Wytchwood Manor.

Where cookies or similar technologies are necessary for the website to function, they may be used for that purpose. Any non-essential technologies requiring consent will be treated accordingly.

External websites reached through the Manor have their own privacy and cookie practices, which I do not control.

If you contact me through Owl-Mail, the information you choose to provide will be used for the purpose of receiving and responding to your message.

This section will be updated following the final technical audit of the live website so that it accurately describes the services and technologies in use.