A 500-year-old house that sits on 183 acres of one of the most sought-after peninsulas in Cornwall, with a mile of coast all to itself
In Cornwall, coastal estates are as rare as they are highly-prized — and they don't come any finer than Rosteague, which sits in one of the most beautiful spots on the Roseland Peninsula.
The scenic Roseland peninsula, bounded by the Fal estuary to the west and the open waters of Gerrans Bay to the east, lies within the Cornwall National Landscape and is one of south Cornwall’s most beautiful and heavily protected regions.
Rosteague, one of the most private coastal estates there, is tucked away at the southern end of the peninsula, two miles from the village of Portscatho. It is for sale for the first time in 25 years, at a guide price of £12.5 million through Truro-based Lillicrap Chilcott.
Its appearance on the market is certain to cause a stir. Prior to the sale in 2003, the house hadn't been sold since 1945 — and back then, the clamour was so great that buyers are said to have raced down from London in their Rolls-Royces in order to secure a deal.
The estate comprises a Grade II*-listed manor house and stable block, a lodge, cottage and equestrian facilities set in 183 acres of historic gardens, woodland, arable and pasture, with more than a mile of direct frontage to Gerrans Bay.
This is a wonderful wide horseshoe sweep of water, with the towering cliffs of Nare Head at one end and the ancient fishing village of Portscatho at the other. A notorious haunt of smugglers in the 18th and 19th centuries, the deeply indented coastline is today an area of gently rolling farmland, hidden coves and glorious unspoilt beaches, much of it accessible only on foot or by water.
Rosteague Manor dates from 1363, when Ralph de Restak was its first recorded resident. In 1401, John Petit and his wife, Mary, had a licence to celebrate divine service at their chapel at Resteak.
During the 16th century, the estate was held by the influential Mohun family, one of whom was Reginald Mohun, one of Sir Walter Raleigh’s captains; the impressive Elizabethan façade of the present house dates from this period.
In about 1620, Rosteague was acquired by Nicholas Kempe (about 1593–1646), whose grandson, also Nicholas (1643–1710), married the heiress Mary Spry of Place House, St Anthony in Roseland, which is now owned by the National Trust.
The younger Kempe, who inherited the estate in 1669, established its formal walled French knot garden, and, in about 1700, remodelled the 15th/16th-century manor house.
It was later extended in about 1820 for Henry Harris, whose father bought Rosteague from the Kempes in 1780. The Grade II*-listed Victorian stable block dates from the mid 19th century.
The estate was occupied by the Land Army during the Second World War and, in 1945, was acquired by the McKenna family, who converted the old Cider House into an impressive music room. The McKennas remained at Rosteague until 2003, when it was bought by its current owners, who have extensively renovated and enhanced the property.
Rosteague Manor, its medieval, Elizabethan and Georgian evolution reflected in a wealth of historic detail, sits within a sheltered fold of the landscape, hidden from view, yet commanding an immense outlook across Gerrans Bay and the open waters of the English Channel.
It provides 6,384sq ft of well-ordered accommodation on two main floors, including four grand reception rooms, a large modern kitchen, a breakfast room and study. There's also a dedicated flower room, which was once a medieval chapel.
Above, there is a vast principal bedroom suite, five double bedrooms and three further bathrooms. The look and feel of the decor is truly something: this is a home of exotic wallpaper, four-poster beds and polished copper baths.
Further accommodation is provided in the pretty, Grade II-listed, three-bedroom Lodge designed in the Arts-and-Crafts style by Charles Harrison Townsend, plus a three-bedroom farm cottage and a one-bedroom groom’s flat.
The six acres of gardens, which enclose the manor house on three sides, are a delight. Stone steps beside the house lead through a wrought-iron gate to the celebrated French Garden, of which Prof Timothy Mowl wrote in his 2005 book Historic Gardens of Cornwall: ‘Rosteague, sheltered behind a slate-roofed wall of granite and cob, has preserved that holiest of horticultural relics, one possibly unique in England, its original box parterre.’
More than 20 acres of amenity woodland provide enchanting walks. The remaining 110 acres of land include 31½ acres of well-drained, mostly post-and-railed paddocks; for keen equestrians, the house also has an all-weather manege.
For selling agent Ian Lillicrap, however, the defining attribute is the extent of the shoreline, which includes ownership to mean low water, ‘a rare and precious asset in a county where coastal property is revered and private ownership on this scale is truly extraordinary’.
Yet, despite its sense of seclusion, Rosteague remains accessible, with the cathedral city of Truro 17 miles to the north-west and Newquay airport some 19 miles away.
The Rosteague Estate is on the market with Lillicrap Chilcott — see more details.
