A


lsia Mill in west Cornwall was little more than a collection of derelict farm buildings when John Chasey and Eleanor Donegan bought it in 2013. But they could immediately see the potential of this little farm in Sennen, which sits two miles from Land’s End and overlooks the famous Whitesand Bay.


“It was the same price as a two-bedroom flat in St Ives,” says Eleanor, clearly pleased with their decision to buy it. The couple were drawn to the mill from the beginning. “As soon as we drove down the drive, we could see it was head and shoulders above anything else. “We realised we could do it bit by bit. It’s not overwhelming as long as you tackle it piecemeal,” she adds. The same is true of the garden – which takes in four acres of mostly untouched former farmland. Around the buildings there are garden ‘rooms’ – spaces created for dining and playing. “The estate was part of a working farm until the 1970s, when it became a family home,” says John.”


Although the property is collectively known as Alsia Mill, the mill itself is a separate building from the main farmhouse, and is the oldest and most derelict building on the site. “The mill was operational until 1966 as a grist


sep/oct 2021


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