If you’re looking to explore some of Sussex’s literary locations you’ll find the home of Virginia Woolf - just 75 minutes drive from south London.
The county of Sussex is famous for influencing its fair share of writers like Kipling, Henry James and Virginia Woolf.
In Rodmell near Lewes, you’ll find Monk’s House – a small 17th century cottage that was once home to renowned writer Virginia Woolf.
Now owned by the National Trust, this small cottage and garden has been kept to how it would have looked at the time that Virginia and her husband Leonard lived there.
The small rooms are filled with the Woolfs’ belongings, with books stacked on tables and a pair of Virginia’s glasses by the bed.
The couple bought the rundown little cottage for £700 in an auction in 1919, to escape the busier city life they were used to living in Bloomsbury in London.
They modernised the house over time, adding a kitchen, hot water and a two-storey extension in 1929, but always preserved its essential charm.
Virginia had a particular love for its garden with its flowerbeds and vegetable patch, along with its views of the South Downs, so much so that she bought the adjacent field in 1929 to protect the view.
The garden served as a great source of inspiration for the writer and became a hub for where she would entertain friends and guests over the 50 years they lived there.
At the bottom of the garden visitors can see Virginia’s writing lodge, a simple wooden room with large windows and a desk facing the Downs where she wrote parts of Mrs Dalloway, To the Lighthouse and Between the Acts .
The National Trust runs seasonal events, from well-being walks and talks on the Bloomsbury Group to sketching days in the garden.
Because the house is small, tickets must be booked in advance, priced at £11 for adults and £5.50 for children.
Share