Virginia Woolf’s novel To The Lighthouse was inspired by a real-world beach — which sold for £80,000 at an auction today. According to the Daily Mail, “The 76-acre Upton Towans beach in Gwithian, Cornwall, overlooks the lighthouse situated on the headland at nearby Godrevy Island. Virginia Woolf spent many holidays there with her family as a child and the watch tower became the inspiration for her 1927 novel….
“The stunning beach [depicted above] has been owned by Dennis Arbon, a trustee of the Hall for Cornwall, a performing arts venue in Truro, for the past 19 years. But Mr Arbon auctioned off the beach in order to raise funds for the Hall.
“A spokesman for estate agents Colliers CRE said there was a lot of interest in the beach which sold for £30,000 above its reserve price…. Competition between three telephone bidders pushed the final price up at the auction at Portman Square, London. It was bought by a man from Cornwall but based in London.
“However planning rules means he will not be able to build on the land or excavate minerals. The beach must remain public which means the new owner can only make the money back with services such as by selling ice creams and donkey rides.”
Vista Homes Mexico Says:
October 14th, 2009 at 2:48 pmVisit Vista Homes Mexico
Just to let you know your site looks really weird in Mozilla on a linux.
ricette Says:
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:34 amVisit ricette
A wonderful beach, one of the very best in UK.
Carl Broady Says:
November 20th, 2009 at 12:34 pmVisit Carl Broady
I spent quite a few boyhood holidays on beaches in Cornwall and I would love to visit Cornwall again someday. £80,000 or just over £1,000 an acre seems very reasonable. I wonder if the new owner could charge admission, charge for parking or maybe turn it into a nudist beach or something.
escort canada Says:
November 24th, 2009 at 9:16 pmVisit escort canada
Wow, they claim the beach is stunning lol….not quite!!
Spanish School Mexico Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 9:00 amVisit Spanish School Mexico
Wow, I used to visit that beach with my family when I was smaller. It was great (if not a little cold). But the price of 80,000 is actually great for it. If I had that kind of money I would definately have bought it.
Martyn Brown Says:
February 20th, 2010 at 11:39 amVisit Martyn Brown
£30,000 above reserve, wow, in the current climate as well.
Cape Verde Villas Says:
February 24th, 2010 at 6:26 pmVisit Cape Verde Villas
In my opinion ALL beaches should remain in public ownership
Lonnie Smalley Says:
June 5th, 2010 at 7:54 pmVisit Lonnie Smalley
That has got to be one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.
escort canada Says:
May 10th, 2011 at 11:35 pmVisit escort canada
I had no idea until now that a beach can be owned by somebody..are they are any that kind of beach left in Caribbeans that can be bought..
harbour Says:
July 3rd, 2011 at 8:59 amVisit harbour
In my opinion all beaches should remain in public ownership