Sun in the sky
With Easter behind us, thoughts turn to the summer months and a clutch of attractive waterside houses come to the market this week
WHEN young Cornishman Francis Oats left school in the early 1860s, he became a miner, as did many of his classmates in west Cornwall. Yet, with an eye on a bigger prize, he would walk the seven miles from his home in St Just across the fields to Penzance, in order to attend evening classes in mining engineering. His efforts paid off. After excelling in exams, he was offered free tuition at the London School of Mines and was made a local mining captain at the age of 20.
Moving to South Africa, he became chairman of De Beers and a close ally of Cecil Rhodes, accruing a significant fortune in the diamond mines and gold fields along the way. In a reallife echo of Winston Graham’s ‘Poldark’ saga, he championed the welfare of the Cornish tin miners who had followed in his footsteps to South Africa and convinced De Beers to pay annual leave for every expat miner.
Cape Cornwall is a headland about a mile east of St Just, which juts into the point where the Irish Sea and Atlantic Ocean meet. At the height of the mining industry, it was heavily industrialised, but, today, it’s a rugged and wild piece of coastline. When it came up for sale at the beginning of the 20th century, Oats snapped it up and commissioned the building of his family house, Porthledden. Constructed between 1907 and 1910, the large Arts-and-crafts house occupies an elevated position looking down on the Cape.
Having only spent a very short time at Porthledden, Oats died in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The house was converted into a hotel in the 1920s and, later, an evacuee girls’ school, before eventually being used as a wedding venue. It lay empty for a while, until a concerned group of locals campaigned for it to be listed and, in 2004, a new owner stepped forward and renovations began. The house was stripped back to its shell and restored, retaining many original features alongside upgrades, including more bathrooms, a large eat-in kitchen and the installation of marinegrade stainless steel and non-ferrous metals to protect it from the coastal elements.
Approached down an immaculate gravel drive, there are mesmerising views from nearly all the rooms; on a clear day, it’s possible to see out to the Isles of Scilly. Now on the market with Savills at £5 million, selling agent George Hill (01872 243200) describes
Porthledden as one of Cornwall’s ‘premier coastal residences’. An ideal home for a large family or those who enjoy entertaining, there are 10 bedrooms, nine bathrooms and four reception rooms in the main house, with a separate three-bedroom guest apartment. Following further improvements by the current owners, Porthledden now has a highly efficient biomass heating system to work alongside a geothermal one. The 7¼ acres of grounds include a walled garden—a handy shelter for when the wind picks up—and a productive kitchen garden. There are also equestrian facilities, including a stable block and tack room.
This area of west Cornwall could, at a stretch, be called ‘le Carré country’; David Cornwell (as the author is less well known) lived near Lamorna, a few miles away, almost at Land’s End—a location that Mr Hill recognises as a bit Marmite. ‘For some, it’s almost at the end of the earth, but others find the adventure, and perhaps particularly the contrast from London, exciting. Plus, it’s almost unheard of to find a house this size and in this condition with land and outbuildings overlooking the sea.’
It’s clear that those who are prepared to travel further down the A30 will get more for their money. The same guide price of £5m, through Savills (01872 243200), is asked for Constantine Cottage on the more easily accessible north Cornish coast, a few miles west of Padstow. Sitting on the edge of a cliff that overlooks the whole of Constantine Bay, the traditional stone-and-slate property was originally a fisherman’s cottage. It has been tastefully extended over the years since it was built—in 1824, according to a plaque.
Decorated and arranged as a holiday cottage with a dining table to seat 10, four double bedrooms and a bespoke fitted kitchen, the whole house has been cleverly updated by the current owners, resulting in a large, light and modern interior. Outside is a single garage and beach paraphernalia can be stowed in a lockable surfboard-and-wetsuit store. Mature hedging, shrubs and wooden fencing protect the garden from the Atlantic winds and a sandy cove is accessible via steps installed by the vendor.
Meanwhile, across the Camel estuary, John Bray Estates are marketing three-bedroom Beach Haven in the perennially popular village of Polzeath. On the market for the first time since 1984, the modest bungalow was extended in the mid 1990s and looks like an ideal
For some, it’s almost at the end of the earth, but others find the adventure exciting
holiday cottage, with a large games room and all-important wetsuit-and-surfboard store. It sits in a tucked-away position, yet is only a few steps from the heart of the village and offers beach and sea views from many of the windows. To the rear is about an acre of garden, including an area of mature woodland.
‘Large plots so close to the sea with scope to create your own vision are extremely rare here,’ says Josephine Ashby of John Bray Estates, which are asking £1.95m for Beach Haven (01208 862601). ‘Polzeath remains one of the most popular surf beaches in the UK, with multi-generational appeal,’ she adds.
Across the county border in East Portlemouth, Devon, last week saw the launch of Thalassa, a six-bedroom house—on the market with Strutt & Parker for £6.5m—in a spectacular position overlooking Salcombe and Kingsbridge. Arranged across two floors, there is a large reception room on the ground floor, with a triple aspect view of the everchanging activity on the water. The house stands in gardens and beach of nearly two acres with a west-facing terrace perfectly positioned to catch sunset views. Steps lead down to the boat house; there are three moorings and a slipway runs directly onto the beach.
‘Thalassa provides a brilliant blueprint for someone to make their own mark, renovate or even rebuild,’ comments Oliver Custance Baker, head of Strutt & Parker’s country-house department (020–7591 2213). ‘It’s the position combined with ownership of the foreshore and the three moorings that makes it so valuable.’
In 2023, Salcombe was named Britain’s most expensive seaside town, with an average house price of more than £1.2m, according to Halifax. However, Thalassa’s value is not affected by being on the other side of the estuary. ‘There are those who want to be in the thick of the action in Salcombe, but, at this super-prime end of the market, there are also buyers that prefer a bit of privacy,’ explains buying agent Ed Clarkson of Property Vision, who specialises in this area (01398 317287). ‘Thalassa could be seen as the best of both worlds.’ A ferry or harbour taxi operates from East Portlemouth to Salcombe every day from the end of March to the end of September, and on weekdays throughout the year.