Blogging Woolf was part of a pilgrimage to Talland House in 2004. This photo depicts the front right corner of the home.
In mid-January, we reported on the most recent plan to construct a multi-million dollar flat project that would obstruct the view of the Cornwall coast and Godrevy Lighthouse from Talland House in St. Ives, Cornwall, the setting and inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s 1927 novel To the Lighthouse. We are sad to report that the plan is moving ahead, according to the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain.
Below is the text of a March 13 message sent by the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain, which helped lead the resistance effort.
Talland House planning update
”It is with regret that we report the decision of the Planning Committee of Cornwall Council this week to allow the planning application for a building in front of Talland
House in St Ives to go ahead.
“There were over 130 objections to the plan, including a handwritten letter from our President Dame Eileen Atkins. The Talland House Group, including the VWSGB and led by Polly Carter, the heritage gardener at Talland House, employed a KC who raised a legal challenge to the lawfulness of the application.
“The particular points brought by our Counsel remain unaddressed by Cornwall
Godrevy Lighthouse in St. Ives, Cornwall
Council’s legal department. They responded, but not to the points raised. Sadly, the developer can go ahead and build what will irrevocably destroy the To the Lighthouse view. BBC Cornwall supported our campaign.
“We are considering opening this up to judicial review and are exploring other options. The Talland House Group is to be formalised, and may have a website and events that celebrate the view and its importance to Virginia Woolf and her works.
“Time will be needed to re-focus our strategy, but we hope to issue more guidance as to how you can further support the campaign and all that Talland House stands for.
“Our thanks to everyone who contributed to the campaign against this development, and we will keep you updated. This story may not be over yet!”
Today is the last day to post a comment objecting to the planned development of a multi-million dollar flat project that would obstruct the view of the Cornwall coast and Godrevy Lighthouse from Talland House in St. Ives, Cornwall, the setting and inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s 1927 novel To the Lighthouse.
Please add your objection to the more than 100 already posted, as of Tuesday.
You must register for an account on the Cornwall Council website before you can post a comment objecting to the development.
If you live in the UK, registration is not a problem, as you need a UK address to register.
If you don’t live in the UK, don’t let the fact that you must have a UK address stop you. Just use the Talland House address provided by Maggie Humm: Albert Road St Ives TR26 2EH. You can register for an account at this link. When the site asks you to verify your account by either text or email, choose email. They will only verify by text if you have a UK phone number.
I used the Talland House address and had no problem, once I realized that the site’s pages load very slowly. Be prepared for that and be patient.
Once you register and are signed in, you can post your comment objecting to the proposal by searching for PA25/07750.
The value to this view is the history behind it: it’s Virginia Woolf, it’s St Ives, it’s Cornwall, it’s literature; it’s everything to do with that book.
What’s next?
The development proposal will be discussed at a planning meeting at St Ives Town Council tomorrow, Thursday. The local authority is set to deliver a decision by Feb. 6.
Map of the proposed development that would obstruct the view of the coast from Talland House in St. Ives, Cornwall. Talland House is to the left and below the development area, which is outlined in red.
You can see how high this project will be by looking at a screenshot of the planning document that shows the west and east elevations of the proposed development, which is called The Terrace St. Ives.
Developers are at it again. As in 2015, and 2003, they are planning a multi-million dollar flat project that would obstruct the view from Talland House in St. Ives, Cornwall, which was the setting and inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s 1927 novel To the Lighthouse.
Professor Maggie Humm, vice-chair of the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain, and Councillor Johnnie Wells, Deputy Mayor of St. Ives at the Talland House plaque unveiling on Sept. 11, 2022. Photo: St. Ives September Festival
The last time, in 2015, developers proposed building a six-story, 10-flat project that would hide the view of Godrevy Lighthouse and the St. Ives coast.
This time, the project submitted to St. Ives Town Council by R.L. Southern, Ltd. is for 12 flats and again threatens to obstruct the view of the lighthouse, as well as of the Heritage Plaque installed on Talland House on Sept. 11, 20022, which will no longer be visible from a public highway, a requirement of any Heritage Plaque.
A parking garage will also be part of the multi-story project developed by R.L. Southern, Ltd., which incorporated in 2019 and appears to have no website of its own. Its director is Robert Mark Lane, 146 High Street, Billericay, Essex, United Kingdom, CM12 9DF. No other contact information is listed online.
Woolfians called to action
In 2015, Woolfians around the world fought back against the project that threatened the view of Godrevy, and the development was halted. Now, Woolf scholars and readers are being asked to take up the fight again by posting comments objecting to the plan on the St. Ives Town Council website at this link. Registration is required before commenting.
Background
Woolf and her family summered at Talland House for the first 12 years of her life. Godrevy Lighthouse, which she could see from her summer home plays an integral role in her famous novel To the Lighthouse (1927).
Maggie Humm announced this sad news and gave some background on previous development plans:
“For the first application I garnered objections from around the world including from Cecil Woolf, Leonard and Virginia Woolf’s nephew, now sadly deceased. The planning application was denounced in the Observer and other media. (At that time, Cecil posted this comment: ‘About the proposal to build a block of six flats and a car park in front of Talland House, which should, of course, be protected by English Heritage — I am appalled. This is sheer vandalism and should be stopped now.’)
“The [2025] application hardly differs from the original application which received objections from around the world.”
The application for the development, PA25/07750, can be accessed online, along with planning documents, a map, and more.
Maggie shares her objections
The view from Talland House of Godrevy Lighthouse was central to VW’s imagination and appears in her novels Jacob’s Room, To the Lighthouse and The Waves, and “Sketch of the Past.” Woolf even called her first Sussex home in Firle Little Talland House. The development would obstruct that view.
Tourism, a vital industry in St Ives, relies on writers/artist connections to the town. World-wide visitors come to St Ives to see their houses. This development would constrain visits to Talland House and diminish the number of tourists.
A plaque celebrating Woolf’s connections with St Ives, supported by the VWSGB and St Ives Council, and donations from Woolf scholars from around the world, was unveiled on 11 September 2022 by the Deputy Mayor and Maggie. It was part of the St Ives Festival programme that year, and praised on BBC Radio Cornwall, the Observer and by other media. A St Ives spokesman said at the time “this will mark our connection to important writers who also left their mark on west Cornwall.”
Woolf’s family made a huge contribution to the town. Julia Stephen, Woolf’s mother, nursed and raised money for a trained nurse; Leslie Stephen gave prizes at the Regatta; and they joined the St Ives Arts Club. The Heritage Plaque celebrates that contribution.
Post objections now
Maggie urges all of us to forward our objections to the development as soon as possible, as the final decision on the new application will be made on 6 February 2026.
Map of the proposed development that would obstruct the view of the coast from Talland House in St. Ives, Cornwall. Talland House is to the left and below the development area, which is outlined in red.
The Sea Blazed Gold is Louisa Albani’s latest illustrated pamphlet featuring Virginia Woolf, and its publication coincided with the Sept. 11 unveiling of the plaque at Talland House that commemorates Woolf’s connection with the seaside town of St. Ives in Cornwall.
Talland House was Woolf’s summertime home in St. Ives from 1882-1894. Her father, Leslie Stephen, had the lease on Talland House from 1878-1895.
Third featuring Woolf
The Sea Blazed Gold is the third of Albani’s pamphlets to feature Woolf. The first, A Moment In The Life Of Virginia Woolf, explored how the author created her vivid seascapes while living in Tavistock Square in London. The second, The Journey to my Sister’s House, focused on her time in the South Downs, where her sister Vanessa Bell lived.
The Sea Blazed Gold takes its title from a passage in Woolf’s 1931 novel The Waves. In it, Albani weaves her artwork with excerpts from Woolf’s diaries, letters and novels to celebrate Woolf’s time in St. Ives and its impact on her life.
The artist uses mixed media, including collage, metallic stitching and pen and ink in the 36-page publication printed on her own press.Text contributors include Maggie Humm, one of the leaders of the campaign for the Talland House plaque, and writer Astra Bloom.
Purchase and shipping details
The cost of The Sea Blazed Gold is £13. Albani’s press, Night Bird Press, limits its shipment of pamphlets to within the UK. For overseas shipping, contact Nash Robbins at Much Ado Books: shop@muchadobooks.com
Read more on the topic in the October/November issue of My Cornwall.
Join the sold-out crowd at the Sept. 11 unveiling of the Virginia Woolf heritage plaque at Talland House, her summertime home in St. Ives, Cornwall from 1882-1894.
Professor Maggie Humm, vice-chair of the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain, and Councillor Johnnie Wells, Deputy Mayor of St. Ives at the Talland House plaque unveiling. Photo: St. Ives September Festival
The plaque, which marks Woolf’s childhood time in St. Ives, was unveiled as part of the St. Ives September Festival last Sunday. The Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain shared the video below to document the occasion. Tony Mason produced the film, which runs just under two minutes.
About the plaque
The first in the black and white colors of the Cornwall flag, the plaque is the product of a long-running campaign by the Virginia Woolf Society of Great Britain, led by Woolf scholar Maggie Humm and the St. Ives Town Council.
The project received unanimous support from St. Ives Town Council as well as from local MP Derek Thomas.
The Council, together with Talland House’s owner Peter Eddy and the society, hosted the sold-out event, which was fully booked within hours of being announced. The event included a reading by Humm from her novel Talland House (2020).
Humm and others are pictured in the video below. In it, you will get a view of Godrevy Bay and the famous Godrevy Lighthouse.
