PRINCE’S SWEET RETREAT
There was a time when chocolate boxes were decorated with pictures of cute country cottages, and this one on the Isle of Wight should have been included.
The Grade-II listed coastal cottage has the thatched good looks many chocolate manufacturers love, including pretty gables, stone walls and an idyllic garden.
But Dunnose Magna is well known for a different reason.
The property has been run as a guest house and tea rooms for many years and, because of the extraordinarily beautiful views of the sea and local countryside it offers guests, has attracted a long list of celebrities and royalty.
This includes Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, as well as snooker player Steve Davis, singer Cliff Richard and entertainer Des O’Connor.
The B&B is named after the nearby cape of Dunnose which was the scene of a famously tragic naval disaster in 1878 when HMS Eurydice sank just off the cape and all but two of its 319 crew were lost.
It is claimed that Prince Edward saw the ‘ghost’ of the ship while filming a TV series in the area called Crown & Country, during which he used Dunnose Magna as a base.
The property, which overlooks Luccombe Bay, is in a secluded spot and has six bedrooms, three reception rooms, two kitchens, a modern conservatory and two acres
of landscaped grounds.
It was renovated by the previous owners and a new wooden staircase added along with replacement wooden floors, windows and a new galleried landing.
It’s for sale with Biles & Co (01983 872335) for £825,000.