The Friends of Minack Society was formed in 2000, four years after the death of the author Derek Tangye and 14 years after the death of his wife Jeannie.
Derek and Jeannie Tangye gave up highly successful London careers in order to find fulfilment in running a flower farm at a remote location on the cliffs in the far west of Cornwall. Despite considerable hardship they persevered and succeeded in living their rural dream whilst also pursuing writing careers based on their experiences. Derek Tangye's series of over twenty autobiographical books, The Minack Chronicles, in addition to describing their way of life, relate to their donkeys and cats in a most fascinating way; their abiding love of wild animals; the unspoilt countryside and recognition of the value of solitude.
As was their wish, the Minack Chronicles Trust was set up to preserve Oliver Land as a Nature Reserve and to maintain it forever as A Place for Solitude, and just before Jeannie died Derek arranged for a signboard to commemorate this.
The dark green wooden sign, which is two feet square, is inscribed, in yellow,
with the following words:
THE DEREK AND JEANNIE TANGYE
MINACK CHRONICLES
NATURE RESERVE
'A Place for Solitude'