Literary Fowey
Daphne du Maurier first came to Fowey in her early twenties. She immediately fell in love with the town, and indeed the whole of Cornwall, and came to spend much of her life here. For many years du Maurier lived in Ferryside, a house her parents bought on the Bodinnick side of the Fowey estuary and it was here that she wrote her first novel The Loving Spirit.
5 years later in 1936, du Maurier received widespread acclaim with the publication of her fourth novel, Jamaica Inn. Inspired by a visit to a coaching house situated amid bleak and desolate moorland, Jamaica Inn put du Maurier, Fowey and Bodmin Moor firmly into the public eye and onto the tourist map. Even today, the real Jamaica Inn attracts visitors and du Maurier afficionadoes all year round.
Rebecca, the romantic novel for which du Maurier is best known, was inspired by Polridmouth Cove - a little further round the Cornish coast. The house of Manderley is in fact based on the Menabilly Estate, near Fowey, in which du Maurier lived for 24 years.
The Daphne du Maurier Festival of Arts and Literature is held in Fowey town.
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