He was interested in so many fields, from invention to nature to gardening

Felicity Dahl

Mrs Dahl told BBC News Online that plans for the centre are already well under way - she has just appointed an archivist, curator and other staff.

She said that the centre would provide a unique insight into writer of such beloved books as The BFG, Danny The Champion of the World, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The Gremlins.

"I want to show something about the man behind the works," she says.

"He was interested in so many fields, from invention to nature to gardening and these archives are quite wonderful."

Inspiring

Fund-raising measures are still at the planning stage though Mrs Dahl has met with Tom Maschler, who was Roald Dahl's publisher and editor, to plan an initial appeal to the publishing world.

Roald Dahl died in 1990 at the age of 74 and his books have more than maintained their popularity.

The distinctive illustrations to Dahl's work are by Quentin Blake

More than one million copies of his books are sold in the UK every year.

Other plans for the centre are a writer in residence to encourage children to read and write and exhibitions based on Dahl's work.

Mrs Dahl feels that seeing how Dahl's works changed from the early drafts written in pencil to the final book will be particularly inspiring and she is anxious to get them to a wider audience.

"There are things about him I keep to myself and there's a lot you can't share, but his works belong to everybody," she said.