A remote coastal home that sits by itself on a spectacular headland and has its own private beach access has gone on the market for £2.25m. The Count House is set on the cliff at Ligger Point overlooking Perran Bay in Cornwall and the Atlantic Ocean.
The headland is an area of outstanding natural beauty and designated site of special scientific interest. Lillicrap Chilcott, who are selling the property, describe it as a ‘world class coastal setting’ with all the rooms enjoying outlooks over the coastline or surrounding countryside.
Although the Grade II listed detached house currently sits in ‘splendid isolation’, plans are in place for a 90-house holiday home village at the disused Penhale Army Camp nearby.
The 16-hectare camp was developed by the MOD in 1939 to train anti-aircraft gunners and remained in use by up to 700 soldiers at a time until it became surplus to requirements in 2010.
The house sits above and beyond the camp at the end of its access lane and driveway in 1.6 acres of land and also has a one-bedroom detached annexe. Along the coast between Holywell and Perranporth are the remains of several lead and silver mines and Penhale was one of the largest in that area. The mine at Penhale was recorded in the 1770s, although may be even older. The records show copper, iron, lead and silver were mined in the area. At one point there were five engine houses along the coast at Penhale, but these were destroyed by the MOD when they built the army camp.
The Count House was built in the 1860s as a counting house for the nearby mine. The mine captain would conduct auctions from the property where the miners would stand below and bid for underground leases/pitches. The annexe was the smithy and carpenter’s shop for the mine. On the ground floor of the Count House is a kitchen/breakfast room, dining room and sitting room, with four bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor and a master bedroom, study and bathroom on the top floor.
The annexe has an open plan kitchen/living room, a double bedroom and a shower room. Andrew Chilcott from Lillicrap Chilcott said: ‘The Count House is in an outstanding position on a headland with gated access to the beach. ‘You have a secure gate onto the coast path and then it is about a 15-minute walk down to the beach.
‘It takes you to the quieter end of the 2.5-mile long Perranporth beach – that end is mainly used by people who choose to walk to full length of the beach or from the coast path.
‘The house is very beautifully presented and an absolute rarity. The views are sensational. The headland is an area of outstanding natural beauty so it can’t be built on. ‘There are plans for a high quality holiday development about 600 yards away so it is not in complete isolation but the house has 1.6 acres in an outstanding position with beautiful rugged coastline and magical views.’