Welcome to the Atlantic Peace Foundation (Charity number: 228439)
Bertrand Russell came to live in Cornwall in 1922. He, his wife Dora, and their infant son, John, took up residence at Sunny Bank, above Porthcurno, a former boarding house for workers laying undersea cables. Initially renting, the Russells quickly came to love the house and bought Sunny Bank, renaming it Carn Voel.
I grew accustomed to wide horizons and to an unimpeded view of the sunset. And I have never since been able to live happily without both.
Bertrand Russell, Autobiography, Volume 1
Russell was to write a stream of books during the decade he spent at Carn Voel. The Problem of China came first, following the Russells’ recent return from an extended stay in that distant country, which prompted them to add Carn Voel’s distinctive Chinese-style flared porch. There followed two pioneering works of popular science, The ABC of Atoms and The ABC of Relativity, as well as revisions to Principia Mathematica, Russell’s landmark work on the foundations of mathematics with A N Whitehead. Later, books on education reflected some of the needs of the growing Russell family.
A succession of visitors travelled to Carn Voel — Ludwig Wittgenstein and Frank Ramsey came, as did Ottoline Morrell and Constance Malleson, as well as A J Cook, leader of the Miners’ Union during the 1926 General Strike.
The extended Russell family continued to live at Carn Voel for more than a century. In 2021, following the death of daughter Kate in her 98th year, the house was acquired by the Atlantic Peace Foundation, a registered charity established by Bertrand Russell during his lifetime. The plan is to establish an international educational centre researching causes of conflict as well as a small museum reflecting Russell’s life and work. A small flat will accommodate residential writers and students of Russell.
An extensive programme of repairs and renovations is underway at Carn Voel. The cost of the building work runs to hundreds of thousands of pounds. In order to complete the recommended environmental works including external insulation, an additional £200,000 is needed. Donations towards these costs are most welcome.
Please email: contact[at]atlanticpeace.org
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