(grain) mill, but dates from circa 1300 AD, “making it a candidate for the oldest ‘overshot’ mill in existence,” says John, based on the archaeological survey they had carried out. It is of course a listed building, and has been derelict since the 1970s when the farm closed. Work is yet to begin on its refurbishment, although some of the original features of the mill have been salvaged, and will be enhancing the design.
This history is proudly included in information for visitors including those who let out a converted barn – much of that info gleaned from an old neighbour’s stories. In the garden by the leat that fed the mill is the remains of what would once have been the main road to Sennen. Fortunately, we arrived by the new main road, crossing a small stream.
John takes up the story: ‘When we purchased
the property, most of the outbuildings had been derelict for years, and much of the original farm land had been sold off, leaving four acres either side of the stream in a small valley with a granite ford.” A number of bridges cross the stream – not least a striking one for vehicles to cross to get to the main properties.
A QUICK WIN With four buildings to choose from, the couple went for the easiest one to convert first, offering the quickest ‘win.’ The previous owners had converted one of the barns on the property to a two-bedroom holiday let. However, says John, “It was pretty run down, so we decided to totally renovate it – making it more spacious by
40
www.sbhonline.co.uk
removing one of the two bedrooms and adding a new bathroom.” Work began in October 2016 and was completed by Easter 2017, in time for the tourist season. It has been restored to a luxury standard and is an asset that’s helping to bring in much- needed funds to pay for the ongoing work. The old cart house that sits next to it has been left unchanged, acting as a covered car port.
FARMHOUSE
Soon they began the much bigger task of renovating the farmhouse – which will become their home and where we focus our story. This granite building would be totally gutted and rebuilt over the next few years – including extending the property in a similar style – both upwards and on the ground floor. As an extra challenge, with the barn conversion being occupied by holidaymakers during the season, it also meant that work had to happen around that.
One of the biggest projects was removing the cement used to (badly) repoint the exterior. “All of this was chipped out by hand and repointed with lime mortar. But it proved a turning point in the work, as the fresh facade set the tone for a contemporary building. “It totally transformed the look of the house, making it much brighter and cleaner,” says John. There were disappointments along the way – not least some of the elements they weren’t able to include in the final house. “We carried out an extensive investigation into using a water source heat pump, potentially using the watercourse of
sep/oct 2021
LOW POINT
“During the works, we discovered most of the first floor was rotten, and the entire farmhouse had to be gutted leaving the granite exterior walls and roof.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
