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Virginia Woolf in Richmond
NEW EDITION IN PAPERBACK to coincide with a new project to unveil a statue of the author in Richmond on Thames in 2022 “I ought to be grateful to Richmond & Hogarth, and indeed, whether it’s my invincible optimism or not, I am grateful.” − Virginia Woolf Although more commonly associated with Bloomsbury, Virginia and her husband Leonard Woolf lived in Richmond-upon-Thames for ten years from the time of the First World War (1914-1924). Refuting the common misconception that she disliked the town, this book explores her daily habits as well as her intimate thoughts while living at the pretty house she came to love – Hogarth House. Drawing on information from her many letters and diaries, as well as Leonard’s autobiography, the editor reveals how Richmond’s relaxed way of life came to influence the writer, from her experimentation as a novelist to her work with her husband and the Hogarth Press, from her relationships with her servants to her many famous visitors.
Richmond was the place that Leonard and Virginia set up a hand printing press on their dining room table and in 1917, they began their self-publishing venture known as The Hogarth Press. They printed the first edition of TS Eliot's 'The Wasteland' there and went on to publish EM Forster, Katharine Mansfield and many others. Virginia worked with Leonard in the publishing business until 1930.
Also while in Richmond, Virginia had her first novel 'The Voyage Out' and she wrote many essays and short stories there such as 'Monday and Tuesday', 'Kew Gardens' and 'The Common Reader'. She also published her second novel, 'Night and Day' in 1919 then 'Jacob's Room' in 1922 during her time in the town. She wrote much of 'Mrs Dalloway' while living in Richmond, affected by the sight of the many war wounded who were convalescing in the town.
One of the reasons that may have led to the couple's decision to settle in Richmond was the proximity of the private nursing home, Burley House, in Twickenham. Virginia spent three short periods taking a 'rest cure' in 1910, 1912, and 1913, there.
Richmond was the place that Leonard and Virginia set up a hand printing press on their dining room table and in 1917, they began their self-publishing venture known as The Hogarth Press. They printed the first edition of TS Eliot's 'The Wasteland' there and went on to publish EM Forster, Katharine Mansfield and many others. Virginia worked with Leonard in the publishing business until 1930.
Also while in Richmond, Virginia had her first novel 'The Voyage Out' and she wrote many essays and short stories there such as 'Monday and Tuesday', 'Kew Gardens' and 'The Common Reader'. She also published her second novel, 'Night and Day' in 1919 then 'Jacob's Room' in 1922 during her time in the town. She wrote much of 'Mrs Dalloway' while living in Richmond, affected by the sight of the many war wounded who were convalescing in the town.
One of the reasons that may have led to the couple's decision to settle in Richmond was the proximity of the private nursing home, Burley House, in Twickenham. Virginia spent three short periods taking a 'rest cure' in 1910, 1912, and 1913, there.
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
239 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2022
About the author
Virginia Woolf
1,970 books30.1k followers(Adeline) Virginia Woolf was an English novelist and essayist regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century.
During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929) with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
During the interwar period, Woolf was a significant figure in London literary society and a member of the Bloomsbury Group. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925), To the Lighthouse (1927), and Orlando (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own (1929) with its famous dictum, "a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 23, 2026
Dit boekje geeft een boeiend en ruim beeld van het leven van Virginia en Leonard Woolf tijdens de tien jaar (1914 - 1924) dat ze weg van centrum Londen in Richmond aan de Thames gingen wonen. Die keuze werd voor een groot deel bepaald door Virginia's mentale toestand, met Bloomsbury in Londen als een plek die veel te druk voor haar was, terwijl Richmand rust en routine zou brengen, zo hoopte Leonard.
Die hoop werd bewaarheid, want al snel vond Virginia ritme en concentratie, niet alleen om te gaan schrijven, maar ook om met haar hond te flaneren (o.a. door Kew Gardens) en mensen te ontvangen in het door haar perfect bevonden Hogarth House. Wat echter vooral impact had, was de aankoop van een drukpers waar zij samen met Leonard als autodidacten mee leerden werken en die zou leiden tot hun bescheiden, maar kwalitatieve en succesvolle uitgeverij Hogarth Press.
Het bleek een verademing voor de zelfkritische, hoogsensitieve Virginia om haar werk in eigen beheer te kunnen uitgeven zonder haar manuscripten door de handen van uitgevers en redacteurs te moeten laten gaan. Naast journalistiek en recensies schreef ze in Richmond haar bekendste kortverhalen en verder de romans Night and Day, Jacob's Room en Mrs Dalloway.
'Virginia Woolf in Richmond' valt hier en daar in herhaling, alsof elk hoofdstuk door iemand nieuw werd geschreven. Toch zorgt samensteller Peter Fullagar voor een geslaagde samenhang met veel fragmenten uit Virginia's dagboeknotities en brieven en uit memoires van Leonard. Het geheel wordt bij momenten ook ingebed in het bredere leven van de Woolfs en daaruit blijkt eens te meer dat hun tijd in Richmond bepalend was, zowel voor de gezondheid van Virginia als voor het vinden van haar modernistische stijl. 3,5*
Die hoop werd bewaarheid, want al snel vond Virginia ritme en concentratie, niet alleen om te gaan schrijven, maar ook om met haar hond te flaneren (o.a. door Kew Gardens) en mensen te ontvangen in het door haar perfect bevonden Hogarth House. Wat echter vooral impact had, was de aankoop van een drukpers waar zij samen met Leonard als autodidacten mee leerden werken en die zou leiden tot hun bescheiden, maar kwalitatieve en succesvolle uitgeverij Hogarth Press.
Het bleek een verademing voor de zelfkritische, hoogsensitieve Virginia om haar werk in eigen beheer te kunnen uitgeven zonder haar manuscripten door de handen van uitgevers en redacteurs te moeten laten gaan. Naast journalistiek en recensies schreef ze in Richmond haar bekendste kortverhalen en verder de romans Night and Day, Jacob's Room en Mrs Dalloway.
'Virginia Woolf in Richmond' valt hier en daar in herhaling, alsof elk hoofdstuk door iemand nieuw werd geschreven. Toch zorgt samensteller Peter Fullagar voor een geslaagde samenhang met veel fragmenten uit Virginia's dagboeknotities en brieven en uit memoires van Leonard. Het geheel wordt bij momenten ook ingebed in het bredere leven van de Woolfs en daaruit blijkt eens te meer dat hun tijd in Richmond bepalend was, zowel voor de gezondheid van Virginia als voor het vinden van haar modernistische stijl. 3,5*
February 1, 2019
When one thinks of the residencies associated with Virginia Woolf one tends immediately to think of Monk's House in East Sussex or 52 Tavistock Square, the Bloomsbury house where Woolf lived the longest. Somewhat neglected it seems in terms of influence and importance to her general well being was the ten years she spent with her husband Leonard in Richmond-upon-Thames, the majority of that time staying at Holgarth House. In this delightful addition to the voluminous study and appreciation of the Woolf legacy Peter Fullagar describes how going to Richmond was essential in aiding Woolf's struggle against her serious mental health condition that she encountered prior to her move and how this sanctuary away from central London undoubtedly helped with her writing.
The book covers such subjects as the writing undertaken there, her health, her relationship with family, friends and servants, the impact of the Great War, the gatherings that took place and the creation in the house of the Holgarth Press. The latter was very much Leonard's idea to give something Virginia manual to do away from writing and also it precluded the need for Virginia to present her work to publishers thus preventing any criticism of her work for which she always had a fragility and fear of.
Along with the author's text there is a reliance on Woolf's letters and diary entries emanating from her Richmond period which gives the book an added potency. A series of photographs are also included. I must admit that once started I couldn't put the book down and it was easily completed in two sessions. The author has championed the forthcoming full sized bronze statue of Virginia Woolf to be erected which will show her sitting on a bench on the Richmond Riverside. The importance of Woolf of not only being one of the founders of modernism in literature but also her championing of feminism as well as bringing into the open LGBT, mental health and sexual abuse awareness remains as important today as it did in her time.
Whether you are a Woolf aficionado already or are new to the subject then this accessible book will I believe appeal and be of interest to you.
The book covers such subjects as the writing undertaken there, her health, her relationship with family, friends and servants, the impact of the Great War, the gatherings that took place and the creation in the house of the Holgarth Press. The latter was very much Leonard's idea to give something Virginia manual to do away from writing and also it precluded the need for Virginia to present her work to publishers thus preventing any criticism of her work for which she always had a fragility and fear of.
Along with the author's text there is a reliance on Woolf's letters and diary entries emanating from her Richmond period which gives the book an added potency. A series of photographs are also included. I must admit that once started I couldn't put the book down and it was easily completed in two sessions. The author has championed the forthcoming full sized bronze statue of Virginia Woolf to be erected which will show her sitting on a bench on the Richmond Riverside. The importance of Woolf of not only being one of the founders of modernism in literature but also her championing of feminism as well as bringing into the open LGBT, mental health and sexual abuse awareness remains as important today as it did in her time.
Whether you are a Woolf aficionado already or are new to the subject then this accessible book will I believe appeal and be of interest to you.
February 1, 2019
This excellent biography of Virginia Woolf provided an interesting and highly readable account of the author's time living in Richmond. Organized topically, the book covers the Woolf's' joy in going into the publishing business, their friends, household, and now-famous visitors. I appreciated the chapter on the author and her husband's endeavors in what we now call "self-publishing." This part of Virginia Woolf's story inspires today's authors to create their own literary freedom with today's technology.
December 15, 2019
Virginia Woolf in Richmond is a must-read for every Virginia’s fan. Entirely based on V diaries, Peter Fullagar gives the reader a detailed analysis during the 10 years that she lived in Richmond.
Being a voracious reader, it took me less than a week to read the book. The diaries entries that Fullagar choose are, obviously, centred in Richmond. But the book is more than that. The insight that the reader have to Virginia daily life: her relationships with her family, the servants, friends, Richmond and the people of Richmond, IWW, the Hogarth Press, her health, is so rich and well constructed that you finish the book with a feeling that you now know so much about V.
On the first chapters we discover why V and L moved to Richmond - V fragile health - a topic well known among V readers. Richmond gave V the opportunity to rest and gave her the time to write. Her walks in Richmond, by the river or in the Kew Gardens were influencers on her writing. The key moment after moving to Richmond was when V and L moved to the Hogarth House and bought a printing machine, creating the Hogarth Press. V was afraid of the reviews on her literary work, she was unable to confront herself with bad reviews and this lead to an extreme anxiety which was one of the causes to her mental instability. The idea of having a small business of a printing came at tea time: V and L decided to buy a printing. Having her own printing, gave to V the freedom she needed and she became more confidante and start to wrote more.
Fullagar chooses other key moments for Virginia while in Richmond that I don’t want to disclose. If you are a fan of Virginia works this is definitely a must read. I’m sure that after reading this book you’re understand of V will be more clear and, just like me, I going to re-read her books again.
Being a voracious reader, it took me less than a week to read the book. The diaries entries that Fullagar choose are, obviously, centred in Richmond. But the book is more than that. The insight that the reader have to Virginia daily life: her relationships with her family, the servants, friends, Richmond and the people of Richmond, IWW, the Hogarth Press, her health, is so rich and well constructed that you finish the book with a feeling that you now know so much about V.
On the first chapters we discover why V and L moved to Richmond - V fragile health - a topic well known among V readers. Richmond gave V the opportunity to rest and gave her the time to write. Her walks in Richmond, by the river or in the Kew Gardens were influencers on her writing. The key moment after moving to Richmond was when V and L moved to the Hogarth House and bought a printing machine, creating the Hogarth Press. V was afraid of the reviews on her literary work, she was unable to confront herself with bad reviews and this lead to an extreme anxiety which was one of the causes to her mental instability. The idea of having a small business of a printing came at tea time: V and L decided to buy a printing. Having her own printing, gave to V the freedom she needed and she became more confidante and start to wrote more.
Fullagar chooses other key moments for Virginia while in Richmond that I don’t want to disclose. If you are a fan of Virginia works this is definitely a must read. I’m sure that after reading this book you’re understand of V will be more clear and, just like me, I going to re-read her books again.
January 27, 2019
I love Virginia Woolf and was happy I requested this book.
It's well written and well researched book about the time she lived in Richmond.
It was an interesting to learn about a part of her life I knew so little.
I think it's must read for any person who like Virginia Woolf.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC
It's well written and well researched book about the time she lived in Richmond.
It was an interesting to learn about a part of her life I knew so little.
I think it's must read for any person who like Virginia Woolf.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC
August 7, 2024
"If statues and marble are solid to the touch, so, simply, are words resonant to the ear".
Virginia Woolf, A Passionate Apprentice, written in Greece,1906
Virginia Woolf, A Passionate Apprentice, written in Greece,1906
April 14, 2019
Excellently researched book on Woolf as a developing writer. Also serves as a picture of life 100 years ago. I didn't know that much about Woolf prior to reading To the Lighthouse last month. This book provided a deeper profile.
October 8, 2020
We have glimpses of heaven. So mild that the landing window was open, and I sat by the river watching a boat launched and half expected to find buds on the willows.
Virginia Woolf January 23, 1918 Richmond.
Virginia Woolf in Richmond attempt to accomplish two goals first is the effort to raise money to erect a full-size bronze statue of Virginia Woolf on the Richmond Riverside. The second is to counter a quote made in the movie The Hours -- "But if it is a choice between Richmond and death, I choose death." Virginia Woolf never made that comment, but for some reason, filmmakers chose to create it. Hogarth House and Hogarth Press are/were located in Richmond and the settings for such works as Kew Gardens. Woolf wrote her first books short stories in Richmond. It was also where she and Leonard lived for ten years.
Fullagar writes in Virginia Woolf's life in Richmond. Although written as a biography it is clearly centered on the ten years of 1914 through 1925 in which the Woolfs lived in Hogarth House. This is the beginning of Virginia Woolf as a writer. Here too is the beginnings of Hogarth press. Bought used and without any experience, the Woolfs became self-taught publishers. They not only published their own work including their first work Two Stories a collaboration between the Woolfs with Virginia writing The Mark on the Wall and Leonard writing Three Jews. Hogarth Press also published T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land in 1924 and Vita Sackville-West's The Edwardians in the 1930s.
Richmond provided Virginia Woolf with peaceful dictations of walks in Deer Park. The press was also a sort of therapy for Virginia Woolf. It occupied her mind with a task and helped prevent her from slipping back into illness. Richmond allowed for social interaction but without the rush and bustle of a fast-paced London. It was a tranquil life. Fullagar presents a well-written case for Woolf's love of Richmond. Although Woolf is permanently linked with Bloomsbury, she does have deep roots in Richmond.
Virginia Woolf January 23, 1918 Richmond.
Virginia Woolf in Richmond attempt to accomplish two goals first is the effort to raise money to erect a full-size bronze statue of Virginia Woolf on the Richmond Riverside. The second is to counter a quote made in the movie The Hours -- "But if it is a choice between Richmond and death, I choose death." Virginia Woolf never made that comment, but for some reason, filmmakers chose to create it. Hogarth House and Hogarth Press are/were located in Richmond and the settings for such works as Kew Gardens. Woolf wrote her first books short stories in Richmond. It was also where she and Leonard lived for ten years.
Fullagar writes in Virginia Woolf's life in Richmond. Although written as a biography it is clearly centered on the ten years of 1914 through 1925 in which the Woolfs lived in Hogarth House. This is the beginning of Virginia Woolf as a writer. Here too is the beginnings of Hogarth press. Bought used and without any experience, the Woolfs became self-taught publishers. They not only published their own work including their first work Two Stories a collaboration between the Woolfs with Virginia writing The Mark on the Wall and Leonard writing Three Jews. Hogarth Press also published T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land in 1924 and Vita Sackville-West's The Edwardians in the 1930s.
Richmond provided Virginia Woolf with peaceful dictations of walks in Deer Park. The press was also a sort of therapy for Virginia Woolf. It occupied her mind with a task and helped prevent her from slipping back into illness. Richmond allowed for social interaction but without the rush and bustle of a fast-paced London. It was a tranquil life. Fullagar presents a well-written case for Woolf's love of Richmond. Although Woolf is permanently linked with Bloomsbury, she does have deep roots in Richmond.
March 4, 2019
This biography was well researched and contained a lot of information that I hadn’t previously read in other books. The author’s attention to detail is evident in the writing. Highly recommend!
May 16, 2019
An incredibly informative, fluent read that showcases a myriad of aspects of Woolf’s life including her relationships, her illnesses and her interests.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews