Earlier this year I enjoyed reading Ithell Colquhoun’s The Crying of the Wind, an account of the author’s travels around Ireland, so I decided to read her other travel book, The Living Stones, published two years later in 1957. This one is inspired by her visits to Cornwall in the late 1940s, where she came in search of escape from post-war London. As an artist, she wanted a suitable property to use as an occasional refuge where she could paint in peace and in 1949 she purchased Vow Cave, a small wooden studio with very basic living facilities.
Vow Cave (Colquhoun tells us that Vow is derived from vugha, the Cornish word for cave) is in the village of Lamorna on the Penwith peninsula a few miles from Penzance. Although she writes about the landscape, the surrounding countryside and some local places of interest, this book isn’t really a travelogue in the same sense as The Crying of the Wind, where the author described trips and excursions to different areas of Ireland. Instead, she explores the culture and history of Cornwall in general, with chapters devoted to separate topics, giving it almost the feel of a collection of short essays.
Lots of Cornish customs and rituals are discussed, ranging from the Gorsedh of Cornwall, or gathering of the bards, and the ‘Obby ‘Oss (hobby horse) festival in Padstow to the Furry Day celebrations which mark the arrival of spring (the name likely has nothing to do with fur and comes from the Cornish word for ‘fair’ or ‘feast’). There’s a chapter on traditional Cornish foods such as potato cakes, Cornish cream and the Cornish pasty, and another on folk medicine and witchcraft – Colquhoun has a particular interest in the occult. Some sections are fascinating, although there were others where I found my attention wandering.
Both books I’ve read by this author feel random and meandering, lacking in focus. I found that the best way to read them was in small doses, a few short chapters at a time alternating with other books, rather than straight through from beginning to end. As a pair, they’re definitely worth reading if you have any interest in Ireland or Cornwall, and I did learn a lot from them. Colquhoun has also written a novel, Goose of Hermogenes, which sounds intriguing!
Thanks to Pushkin Press Classics for providing a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
She Reads Novels 
I like the idea of meandering around Cornwall, I’ll add this to my list as well!
I think the meandering style would have been too much in a longer book, but this one is quite short. I found it very interesting!
I don’t tend to pick up non fiction but it sounds like parts of this could intrigue me like the folk medicine, witchcraft and festivals. Given the meandering approach maybe I’ll try one of the segments im most interested in one day and decide if its worth trying the whole book from there.
I read very little non-fiction compared to fiction, but am making an effort to pick up more of it this year. When I do read non-fiction I’m usually drawn to history or true crime, but I would like to read more travel books like this one, particularly if they talk about the traditions and culture of the area and not just the geography.
Im hoping to try one or two soon too, and the first i have my eye on is one of those true crime titles. I can see how having information about traditions would be especially intriguing travel wise though, those kind of details would catch my eye too.
Cornwall is on my bucket list! I’d love to spend a week or two there visiting all the different sites. Though I might bring a more current book on Cornwall with me when I do. ;D
Cornwall would be a great place to spend a few weeks. I’m sure a modern book would be more useful, though!
These do sound lovely, although I take your point about small doses!!
The random, directionless structure made it a bit hard to focus, but in small doses it worked well and was a fascinating read!
I always struggle to pass up on a book involving Cornwall. As I would expect, it’s available from my local library. So I will definitely be dipping my toes into her writing.
I think you’ll find it interesting, particularly as you’re probably already familiar with some of the places and things she’s describing.