Actress Olivia Hallinan, star of the BBC series Lark Rise to Candleford, was joined fans as she paid a visit to the Oxfordshire countryside, where the character she plays grew up.

For three years Miss Hallinan has played Laura Timmins, based on author Flora Thompson, whose work detailed life in a north Oxfordshire village in the late 19th century.

The 26-year-old star of the show made a pilgrimage to the area which inspired the series – spending five hours walking between Juniper Hill and Fringford, pictured, and meeting 20 fans.

The actress, who was a guest of the Living Literature Society said: “I find it quite magical. I really wish I had come here three years ago when I first took on the role of Laura. I always knew that it was here, that the places were real. But I didn’t know how unchanged it would be.

The series is filmed in Wiltshire, and in studios in Bristol.