An elegant Cornish abbey being sold by one of iconic supermodels of the 1960s
Grade ll-listed The Abbey stands high above the harbour in Penzance looking across to St Michael’s Mount.


In Cornwall — nearly as far west as you can go — one of Penzance’s most striking landmarks is for sale. Grade ll-listed The Abbey, which stands high above the harbour looking across to St Michael’s Mount, has since 1979 been the home of 1960s supermodel Jean Shrimpton and her husband, Michael Cox.
It is now for sale through Warwickshire-based agents Pritchard & Company at a guide price of £1.95m.
The Abbey was run initially as an acclaimed boutique hotel with a country-house feel and, latterly, as a luxury self-catering property; the group of three Grade II-listed properties comprising the historic main house and its attached self-contained apartments.
The original building dates from about 1660, when the Spanish raided nearby Newlyn, Mousehole and Paul; it was subsequently rebuilt before being gentrified in the distinctive Georgian Gothic style in 1820, when the drawing room was added.
It is thought that it may have been associated with the abbey on St Michael’s Mount and possibly used as a pied-à-terre for monks when the sea was too rough to make the crossing to the Mount. The Abbey remained in private hands until after the Second World War, when it became a hotel.
The main house offers more than 4,600sq ft of colourful living space on three floors including two principal reception rooms, six bedrooms and six bathrooms, with a further reception room, bedroom and bathroom in the adjoining ground-floor apartment, known as The Slipway, and a reception room, two bedrooms and a bathroom in the Mount View apartment on the floor above.
A hidden treasure is the private walled garden, where granite rock walls provide structure and thoughtful planting and landscaping are laid out with artistic aplomb.
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Selling agent Robert Pritchard comments: ‘Although the Abbey has been a former hotel and more recently used for holiday lets, the building is generally domestic in its purpose.
'Having the property split into three elements provides scope for multiple alternative uses, such as a private dwelling with an income, an art gallery, a company headquarters or a high-end guest house'.
The Abbey is listed with Pritchard & Company at a guide price of £1.95m.
A Cornish home with glorious panoramic views stretching from Trenow Cove to St Michael’s Mount
Credit: Lillicrap Chilcott
A dream waterside home in one of Cornwall's most prestigious locations
Perched at the top of a gentle hill in St Mawes, Tresona is a hop, skip and a jump to
A 'Holy Grail' Cornwall property with location, land and endless views
Trevascus Farm is a beautiful property near Cornwall's Roseland Peninsula which seems to tick every box.
-
A castle for sale just down the road from Gleneagles, where everyone from George VI to a farmer and his pigs once roamed the grand halls
Orchil Castle has seen it all in a tumultuous century and a half — but it's getting back to its best, and now needs a brave new owner to take it on the next step of its journey.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Five émigré artists who greatly enriched Britain's intellectual and creative scenes
Frieze Masters kicks off this week and several contributing galleries are using it to shine a spotlight on the artistic contribution of émigrés past and present.
By Carla Passino Published
-
A castle for sale just down the road from Gleneagles, where everyone from George VI to a farmer and his pigs once roamed the grand halls
Orchil Castle has seen it all in a tumultuous century and a half — but it's getting back to its best, and now needs a brave new owner to take it on the next step of its journey.
By Toby Keel Published
-
A flat for sale in the building where Agatha Christie lived, and it's both the most interesting and most affordable home for sale in Hampstead today
The Isokon Lawn Road flats in Belsize Park are a Grade I-listed architectural icon with a fascinating history, and one of them is currently for sale. Toby Keel takes a look.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Five homes with their own orchards that will be the apple of your eye (almost literally)
If you've been looking enviously this year at neighbours with apple trees that have been heaving with fruit, here is the solution: five lovely homes for sale that come with their own orchards.
By Arabella Youens Published
-
A beautiful Victorian vicarage that was home to one of the Cadbury family heiresses is on the market
Penny Churchill tells the tale of Monks Bridge in Warwickshire.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
An outrageously opulent mansion in London's answer to Beverly Hills, with a gym that 'wouldn't look out of place in a 7* hotel'
'One of the finest houses in St George's Hill' is on the market. Annabel Dixon takes a look at what's on offer.
By Annabel Dixon Published
-
Six homes with fantastic features, from pools and paddocks to waterside settings, as seen in Country Life
Our look at the best homes to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a Chipping Norton farm and a Cornish dream home
By Toby Keel Published
-
Queen Victoria's chaplain's house on the Isle of Wight is for sale, and it's a riot of colour, charm and joy
A stone's thrown from Queen Victoria's beloved Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, the house where her chaplain lived is now on the open market.
By Penny Churchill Published
-
An Art Deco masterpiece with five-bedrooms, a private pool, a cinema, a helipad and the ability to conquer oceans
Lady Christine is the very essence of opulence and could be yours for a cool €55.75 million.
By James Fisher Published