‘Virginia Woolf’s beach’ sold for £80,000 (AFP)
LONDON (AFP) – A windswept beach on the southernwestern coast of England which is thought to have inspired the Virginia Woolf classic 'To The Lighthouse', has been sold at auction for 80,000 pounds (93,000 euros, 130,000 dollars).
Upton Towans beach in southwest Cornwall, which overlooks the lighthouse on Godrevy Island some 10 miles northeast of Penzance, was sold to a private buyer from London who originally comes from the area.
Woolf's novel, which was published in 1927, was set in the Hebrides but is believed to have been inspired by the Cornish coastline where the writer spent many family holidays as a child.
Her fifth novel, and the one most widely read, was also said to be her most autobiographical work.
Proceeds of the sale will go to the Truro-based theatre Hall for Cornwall.
Dennis Arbon, who owned the 76-acre beach and adjoining five acres of sand dunes, gave the land to the theatre several years ago with the idea that the land could be sold as and when the venue needed more funding, the BBC said.
The beach was sold at an auction in London by Colliers CRE. Five people were bidding for the land with interest coming from as far afield as America and Russia.
Tim Brinkman, director of Hall for Cornwall told the BBC he was "absolutely delighted" at the funding raised by the auction.
"It's wonderful that something which inspired literature is going to help provide funds to feed plays and theatrical productions of the future."