This Cornish manor house with a 700-year-old history is full of life, colour and flair
Nansough Manor looks every inch the classic Georgian home from the outside — and within it's a joyously pretty family home.
Across the River Tamar in south Cornwall, renovation is also the name of the game. Here Strutt & Parker Cornwall quotes a guide price of £1.9 million for secluded Grade II-listed Nansough Manor, an exquisite small Georgian manor house set in eight acres of gardens, paddocks and woodland, a mile from the ancient village of Ladock and six miles from the cathedral city of Truro.
Local records show that an earlier manor and chapel existed on the site, dating to at least 1414, and most likely a couple of centuries before that.
Nothing remains of the medieval house, however. Historic England suggest that the Nansough Manor that stands today is 'probably' 17th in origin, though it effectively became a Georgian house when rebuilt in 1792.
That work was carried out by the Roberts family, who were long established in Cornwall. Local tradition suggests that its construction was funded through the historic trade of horses and brandy between Penzance and France.
The 3,372 square foot main house offers elegant, well-proportioned accommodation on two floors, including an entrance hall with a high ceiling and decorative cornicing, a light-filled drawing room with original fireplaces and large sash windows, a good-sized dining room, and a recently-refurbished kitchen.
One thing that's lovely to see is the interior decoration. The place has been renovated, but there's been no effort to give the house an original Georgian flavour, nor have the owners made it look overtly slick and modern.
Instead, there's a lovely palate of colours from across the spectrum — greens and blues and oranges and pinks — which feel as if they've been chosen by someone wearing a big smile on their face. It's fresh and welcoming, full of life.
Something about it reminded us of a Hockney painting — and the choice of art that hangs on the walls only adds to the feeling that the owners have real visual flair.
A sweeping 18th-century staircase leads to four first-floor bedrooms, including the principal bedroom, which boasts a large en-suite bathroom and wonderful south-facing views.
The adjoining two-bedroom cob cottage provides additional accommodation and requires additional work, but has the potential to create a proper annexe or a useful holiday let subject to consents. The potential is huge, and it's full of character with inglenook fire place, bread oven, wash boiler and pig trundle.
Nansough Manor has formal lawns and paddocks enclosed by a copse of mature oak trees.
The land is well suited to equestrian use, with facilities including a recently installed range of Monarch stables, stock fencing, powered water troughs and miles of nearby bridleways for riding out.
Nansough Manor is for sale through Strutt & Parker — see more details.
