TRELAWNY’S CORNWALL

Event information

Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson on 29 May 2025 in paperback at £10.99

It would be hard to think of a more thoroughly Cornish name than Petroc Trelawny.  His first name is shared with one of Cornwall's most celebrated saints, his second is the name of its unofficial national anthem. But when a stranger challenges the Radio 3 presenter on his ancestry, he is
inspired to return to the lands of his boyhood to rediscover the place where he grew up, and attempt to confirm if he still belongs there.
Part history, part memoir, this is a deeply felt exploration of Cornwall - past, present and future.

Petroc embarks on a slow journey that sees him visit old mine workings, ancient churches, sites where new technology was forged, and places where poets, musicians, architects and film makers have worked to shape Cornwall's cultural identity.

Petroc Trelawny explores the Tamar, the river that marks out the Cornish frontier, and holds a finger up to winds of change, exploring the collapse of Methodism, the decline of the Cornish language, and the complex , sometimes lucrative, sometimes destructive, relationship with
tourism.

As he travels by road, rail and foot, he conjures marvelously vivid
figures and scenes from memory, telling the stories of a loving family
full of mysteries and a landscape still redolent of 'Cornish otherness'.

Petroc Trelawny grew up on the Lizard Peninsula in the far south of
Cornwall. He presents Breakfast on BBC Radio 3. He was part of the
commentary team for BBC Television's coverage of the Coronation of
King Charles III and the funeral of Her Majesty The Queen and has
presented BBC Proms on radio and television for more than two
decades.

He will be in conversation with Poppy Wonnacott and this event will include a brief Q&A with the audience.