The Old Chapel & Sunday School - Penzance

• Overview

  Overview

  

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  There is a certain historic fascination about staying in a converted chapel which lies deep in the heart of West Cornwall. When it becomes clear that The Old Chapel, Sancreed sits in an area which has immediate literary and artistic links (D.H. Lawrence, John Miller, John le Carre, Stanhope Forbes and the Newlyn School of artists), when access to Land's End, St Ives and spectacular hill and coastal scenery is on your doorstep, a mediaeval church and holy well next door, then that fascination discovers a reality. Walks in the area place you at the heart of a Du Maurier novel. Built in 1886, this south-facing Wesleyan chapel is located on the village green in the pretty hamlet of Sancreed which sits on top of a hill with glorious, uninterrupted views over Mount's Bay, Penzance and the surrounding countryside which has been designated an area of outstanding beauty.

  The present owners have spent a considerable amount of time and devotion to primarily create a fabulous, spacious yet warm and compact private home which is now available for the first time as a unique holiday property. The chapel has been decorated and furnished with an eclectic mix of comfortable antiques and authentic Victorian and Edwardian period furniture and has recently been used for Murder Mystery weekends and long country-Christmas parties, where Cluedo, Charades and open fires go together! The Old Chapel retains a wealth of period features (the spacious modern kitchen and informal living space has a total of seven windows, many of which are original stain-glass arches.) Large flagstone floors, winding staircases, high-vaulted ceilings and a fabulous, open formal lounge on the first floor are all part of the interior of the unique holiday home.

  The Chapel has very pretty gardens on all three sides, including a landscaped pond with plenty of little hideaways that are perfect for that long-awaited holiday novel or a quiet, private moment when the sun goes down. For the ornithologist, rooks, buzzards, wrens, egrets and the occasional red kite and heron can be found. There are choughs at St Just. For the fly fishermen, there are trout at Drift a mile away. The panoramic views, copses, Well and Beacon, quoits and streams afford great opportunity for painters and sketch-artists. Indeed, the community itself is artistic in a dozen ways. The Chapel is ideally situated, with parking, and with easy access to Penzance and transport links to the Isles of Scilly, The Minack Theatre, Lamorna and Sennen Cove beach. There is a bus stop on the village green.

• Property Description

  Property Description

  • Changeover Sat
  • Sleeps: 6
  • Rural Property: Yes

  • Bedrooms: 3
  • Bathrooms: 2
  • Town Property: No

  

  Log Fire

  

  Garden

  

  Dogs Allowed

  

  Parking

  Distance in miles from..

  Shops

  3.00

  Pub

  3.00

  Beach

  3.00

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  Entrance through side gates and stable door into stunning bright open-plan kitchen and living space with high-vaulted ceiling, exposed beams with hanging plants and original stained glass windows. Fully fitted kitchen with solid wood worktops, Belfast sink, large freestanding six burner gas cooker. Family-size fridge/freezer, dishwasher and microwave. Large dining table and chairs, contemporary wood-burner. Steps through door to hall leading to family bathroom with bath, hand basin and W.C. Bedroom One: Twin (orthopaedic) zip-link beds, Laura Ashley soft furnishings, stained-glass windows facing south, period furniture. Bedroom Two: Double bed, period furniture and en-suite facilities including shower cubicle and eco friendly electric shower, hand-basin and W.C. Beautiful vaulted library, study and minstrels gallery with general  literature, history and poetry. Nearby utility area with washing machine, freezer, sink, computer access point, storage space. Central double-staircase runs off main entrance and hall to first floor and stained glass window. Large Lounge area, well-lit (seven windows) with views over the valley to the south and east. Mix of comfortable period sofas, large flat screen TV/DVD player and small music system. Wood-burning stove. Bedroom Three. Double bed, period furniture and access to Minstrels' Gallery (please ensure that children are supervised in this area).

  Outside: Lawned area with statuary, uncovered pond, flowerbeds, granite walled gardens, garden furniture and large gas-barbecue facility on patio. Two side patios with shrubs, fountain, pots benches/seating for breakfast coffee in the south-east sunshine! There is a small well-lit summerhouse with seating, library, and plants for that private hideaway, with views. Please note: Guests are kindly asked to refrain from smoking inside the property. One controlled dog welcome downstairs.

• Area

  Area

  

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  Out & About

  Harris's Restaurant, Penzance (0.0 miles)

  Untitled by Robert Wright (0.2 miles)

  Jubilee Pool (0.3 miles)

  2 Fore Street - Mousehole (2.4 miles)

  St Michael's Mount (2.7 miles)

  GB Surf School (2.8 miles)

  Mousehole Bird Sanctuary (2.8 miles)

  The Victoria Inn (4.1 miles)

  The Play Zone (5.7 miles)

  Coast 2 Coast Karting (5.9 miles)

  Located in one of the world's most beautiful bays, Penzance enjoys its reputation for excellent restaurants and cafés and is reputed to have more restaurants and eating houses per capita then New York! – It also has an enviable reputation as one of the friendliest towns in Cornwall with a warm welcome to visitors from all over the globe. As the business centre of West Cornwall and the focus of commercial activity for the whole Lands End Peninsula, you would be right to expect a bustling, thriving town. Yet Penzance still manages to be true to its heritage and always maintains its olde worlde atmosphere, the town successfully retaining its charm while simultaneously keeping pace with the specific demands of the 21st century. One can find delightful oases of calm amongst the bustle, such as the impressive Penzance Museum and Art Gallery, which houses a substantial collection of paintings, notably from the Newlyn School of Artists and the Morrab Gardens, a delightful haven with a profusion of sub tropical flowers and palm trees – they even have a flowering banana plant! The Exchange Gallery is a major contemporary art space, enabling audiences to see work on a scale never before accessible in the region. It shows an exciting and innovative programme featuring national and international works, alongside the best of those produced in the local area. The main thoroughfare is Market Jew Street, a busy shopping area that leads gently uphill to the handsome classical building of the Market House, behind which other shopping streets of Causewayhead and Alverton Street lead. Everywhere there is a truly charming mix of gorgeous Cornish cottages and superb examples of eclectic Regency and Georgian architecture. In addition to the profusion and diversity of shops, there is much to explore in the town. Discover the 14th century Turk's Head Inn, the Admiral Benbow Inn, containing in their words ' a vast array of seafaring antiques recovered from historic ships' - salvage from wrecks, from ships wheels to figure heads. The word “Penzance” is a corruption of the old Cornish word Pensans which in the ancient Cornish language means 'Holy Headland', referring to the headland to the western side of the harbour on which a chapel was established by early Christians well over 1000 years ago. Today St Mary's Church is located on the same site. At the end of the headland is the famous sea-water swimming pool, an open air Art Deco masterpiece, opened in 1935 and which today is the only one in existence in the UK. The stunning harbour was primarily responsible for the establishing of the town, as it is the first sheltered harbour that is reached from the Atlantic. Indeed, news of Nelson's victory at Trafalgar in 1805 was brought by returning fishermen and announced at the Union Hotel in Chapel Street before it had even reached London. Further out of town, the coastal walk from Penzance to St Ives and the Tinner's Way provides breathtaking views with romantic granite scenery, historical engine houses and high moorland. With its reed beds, woodland, mudflats, reservoirs, sheltered coastal bays and open moorland, the Penzance area is a birdwatcher's delight and attracts ornithologists from all over the world. Penzance's climate is one of the most temperate anywhere in the British Isles and its location ensures that spring comes earlier than anywhere else in the country which is of course a major contribution to the profusion of beautiful flora and fauna. From Penzance, frequent public bus services travel to all major points of interest in the area including Land's End, Porthcurno and the Minack Theatre, Mousehole, Marazion and St Michael's Mount, while there are both bus and train services to St Ives. Penzance also has excellent transport links to the famous sub-tropical Isles of Scilly, which lie 28 miles to the west of Land's End. Visitors can choose a leisurely 2 hour cruise aboard the Scillonian III, or a fast 20 minute flight on the regular helicopter and plane services.