Skip to content
Ask a Local #006- Author Emma Stonex
We caught up with author of Cornish inspired novel 'The Lamplighters' Emma Stonex to find out why Cornwall is special to her. Enter our latest giveaway to be in with the chance of winning a copy of 'The Lamplighters' alongside some St. Ives Co. goodies. Find out more here.
1
Have you spent a lot of time in Cornwall?
If more than a few months pass without my being in Cornwall, I start to feel strange. Childhood holidays were made up of Cornwall – paddling in Helford Passage, taking a boat out from Fowey Harbour – and it’s important to me that my children experience the same. I grew up landlocked in Northamptonshire. Now, I live south of Bristol, on the doorstep to West Country proper, and I love the feeling of being able to dash down the M5 on a whim and reach such extraordinary places. There’s nowhere like Cornwall in the world.
2
What is it about Cornwall that inspired you to set The Lamplighters there?
The Lamplighters is based on a Scottish mystery, but there was never any doubt in my mind that in reimagining the story I would set it in Cornwall. For me, the Cornish coast is home to some of the most magnificent lighthouses in the UK. Land lights like Lizard Point and Trevose Head are stunning, while the great sea towers – the Bishop, the Wolf, the famous Eddystone – are among my favourites. My fictional Maiden Rock is modelled on the Wolf. She’s several miles off Land’s End and, like the Wolf back in the days when she was manned, is renowned for being difficult to access and with a grim, oppressive atmosphere. Cornwall is also steeped in rich coastal lore, some liminal power in being at the gateway to the mighty Atlantic: I wanted to draw on this mystical element in the novel.
3
What is your favourite thing to do in Cornwall when the sun shines?
A treat for any weather but particularly special in the sunshine is the coastal walk from Fowey to Gribbin Head, past Readymoney Cove, the ruins of St Catherine’s Castle and along to Polridmouth. The sea views and meadows of flora are heart-stoppingly beautiful, while the red-and-white tower on the promontory makes an arresting focal point. The walk combines lush woodland, gentle streams and the constant company of the sea. It’s easy to see why du Maurier was so inspired here. The walk takes about an hour and a half, so plenty of time for a cream tea afterwards!
4
Feeling peckish, where do you head for lunch?
Let’s go to the Cornish Deli in St Ives for a crab sandwich. I can’t come to Cornwall without eating crab sandwiches at every opportunity, and the Cornish Deli, with its emphasis on fresh, local produce, is the best I’ve found. Perfect soft granary bread, lashings of delicate sweet crab and the crunch of tomato and cucumber. Best eaten on the beach looking across to Godrevy Lighthouse.
5
Still hungry. Best place for dinner?
I like the Shipwrights Arms in Helford. The atmosphere inside is cosy and characterful, and the food is delightful: I went for a curry night once and never had a better bhuna before or since. There’s seating outside where you can watch the boats coming up and down the river.
6
Best spot in Cornwall for a drink?
Last year I was lucky enough to stay at the Greenbank Hotel, Falmouth, and had a crisp G&T on their terrace at the Water’s Edge Bar. The views of the harbour are breathtaking, especially at sunset.
7
Favourite place to visit in Cornwall?
The Minack Theatre at Porthcurno. It’s impossible to beat for atmosphere. There’s something magical about seeing human dramas played out against that rugged, majestic coastline. I remember watching a play there years ago, wrapped up in blankets against the cold, the stars out in force and the beam from Tater du Lighthouse sweeping across the black sea.
8
Are there any particular places or settings that you most enjoyed writing about?
I wanted to capture in The Lamplighters the feeling I get when I stand at Land’s End and look out towards the Longships, about a mile away, then further, deeper into the haze, where the splendid Wolf Rock hovers like a matchstick against the horizon. I loved imagining what life might have been like for the keepers who lived on that remote station: three men in close proximity for eight weeks at a stretch, in rooms only twelve feet across, with no land to set foot on around the tower and nowhere to be except inside the lighthouse. I wondered how it would have felt to be surrounded by sea for weeks and months on end.
9
If you could change one thing about Cornwall, what would it be?
Perhaps, with the above in mind, the many funfair attractions at Land’s End. I appreciate why they’re there, but Land’s End is an exceptional place, so special, so spiritual, that it can take some time to distance oneself from the many distractions and find that connection with nature. Where land ends and sea begins is a formidable threshold and one to be treasured.
10
What would you like to see in Cornwall that's not already here?
Me! I’d love to move further west one day. My soul reaches for Cornwall.
Any other burning questions? Pop in the comments below and we will add to our next 'Ask a local' blog post.
Any other burning questions? Pop in the comments below and we will add to our next 'Ask a local' blog post.