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Sands
Home Search are independent buying consultants specialising in
finding and acquiring prime country houses & estates, farm
& equestrian property and waterside homes for retained private
& corporate clients.
For further information about our service use the menu at the
top of this page.
About the County of Cornwall
(For a list of all the prime country estate properties sold
in Cornwall recently, scroll down to the bottom of this page)
Newquay, St. Ives, Falmouth, St. Austell, Bodmin Moor, Lizard
Point, Lands End, Redruth, Bude and Bodmin areas of Cornwall and
the surrounding area of Devon.
Cornwall & Devon are packed full of attractive
sea resorts. In Cornwall there are surfer's paradise areas such
as Newquay on the western coast.
In North Devon these include Woolacombe, Bude,
Ilfracombe, Westward Ho! and Minehead.
In South Devon you are again spoilt for choice
with Lyme Regis, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Torbay,
Salcombe and Dartmouth . Further inland you will find the Dartmoor
National Park and exciting local communities in towns such as
Tiverton, Honiton and Barnstable.
If watersports are your life, there are many
areas just suited to making this easy and pleasurable – whether
your interests are in sailing, windsurfing or fishing. There are
numerous moorings for your boat/watercraft, sailing clubs, watersports
tuition.
If watersports are your life, there are many
areas just suited to making this easy and pleasurable – whether
your interests are in sailing, windsurfing or fishing. There are
numerous moorings for your boat/watercraft, sailing clubs and
watersports tuition.
With its own culture and language, and its spectacular scenery
and warm climate, Cornwall feels a world away from the rest of
England, and the current high prices are entirely justified.
Commuting to London from Cornwall is near
impossible. In the past this ensured that houses in the county were
remarkably good value, especially away from the south. However in
recent years, as people increasingly buy second holiday homes, prices
across the southwest have shot up. As a result Cornwall property
is now at the top end of the price range.
According to the July 2004 Hometrack price index,
the overall average price for a property in Cornwall was £154,400,
compared with £153,300 in Devon and £146,800 in Somerset.
You do get what you pay for, though, which,
in Cornwall, is spectacular scenery and coastline, better weather,
character properties, and a peaceful way of life.
The Sea's Influence
No inhabitant of Cornwall lives more than
18 miles from the sea. Maritime trade - and piracy - may have
declined, but Cornwall's coastline ensures that tourism is one
of its two main industries. Rugged cliffs characterise the north
coast, sunlit estuaries the south, and a third of the coast is
in the hands of the National Trust.
The waters are extremely clean by European standards, and the
excellent surfing breaks are becoming an increasingly important
draw for visitors. Newquay's new surfing centre is proving popular,
and has helped contribute to the town's newfound status as the
capital of UK surfing.
Food and Drink
The sea, of course, helps contribute to another
important element of Cornish life: food. Seafood is fresh and
delicious, and is championed by the likes of Rick Stein, whose
superb restaurant in Padstow serves only the finest - and has
a waiting list to match.
That other fine Cornwall delicacy, the pasty,
is also ever popular. 'Designed' so that miners could eat a good
meal with dirty hands and then discard the crust, you can find almost
any flavour, from the traditional beef and potato to the slightly
more novel jam and custard. Malcolm Barnecutt's pasties in Wadebridge
come highly recommended, but you can find good quality bakers anywhere
as long as you look beyond those that cater primarily for tourists.
Lifestyle
Cornwall's other main industry is agriculture:
small family farms still prevail, as the rolling landscape is
not suited to large-scale farming. Beef and sheep farming are
most common, while since the foot and mouth crisis crops such
as oilseed rape and maize have become more prevalent.
Since the 18th century, artists have been attracted
to Cornwall for its light and rugged beauty. Artists such as Norman
Garstin, Barbara Hepworth and Bernard Leach have all sought inspiration
in Cornwall, and there are many excellent studios and galleries
in most towns.
Eden Project
One of the main draws for tourism in Cornwall
is the extraordinary Eden Project. Consisting of the world's largest
geodesic domes, the Project brings together a spectacular array
of plants from all over the world, separated into two biospheres,
the Humid Tropical Biome, featuring a jungle environment, and
the Warm Temperate Biome, including Mediterranean, South African
and Californian plant species. The success of the Eden Project
has also had a positive knock-on effect on businesses in the surrounding
area as well as the rest of the county.
Cornwall really is a world apart from the rest
of Britain, with a different climate, a different language - that
can still be heard in some areas - and a different lifestyle,
and there can be no doubt that the high property prices are entirely
justified.
Property Market
The southwest of England, especially Cornwall,
has been at the forefront of the property boom over recent years.
According to Colin Benney, Manager at Stratton Creber Estate Agents
in Truro, prices have gone up by about 50% in this time.
Although the first six months of 2004 were very
active, along with the rest of the country, the Cornish market
has failed to pick up after the usual Summer lull: 'In my view
prices are levelling out as supply comes more into balance with
demand. It's a tougher market, with fewer transactions, but without
the panic buying we were seeing earlier on in the year,' said
Mr Benney.
Major towns
Penzance, Falmouth, St Ives, Truro, St Austell, Fowey, Par, Newquay,
Bodmin, Bude, Launceston.
Transport links
Train: There is a direct, regular train from London Paddington
to Penzance. The journey takes around 5 hours.
Plane: There are now regular, cheap Ryan Air
flights from London Stansted to Newquay airport, which have no
doubt helped Cornwall more attractive to second homebuyers. The
journey takes just over one hour. Other operators also run flights
from around the UK.
Car: Penzance is 283 miles from central London,
via the M4, M5 and A30. St Austell is 265 miles.
Public schools
Duchy Grammar School, Truro (01872 862289). Co-educational, day
and boarding, age range 3-18. Inter-denominational.
St Joseph's School, Launceston (01566 772988).
Girls aged 4-16, boys 4-11. Day and boarding. Interdenominational.
St Petroc's School, Bude (01288 352876). Co-educational
preparatory school, age range 3-14. Day and boarding. Church of
England.
Bolitho School, Penzance (01736 363271). Day
and boarding. Co- educational. Interdenominational. www.bolitho.cornwall.sch.uk
The Truro School, Truro (01872 272763). Co-educational,
day and boarding, age range 3-18. Methodist. www.truroschool.com
Truro High School for Girls (01872 272830).
Day and boarding, age range 3-18. Girls only (with boys allowed
age 3- 5). Anglican. www.trurohigh.co.uk
Leisure
Yacht clubs: the Royal Torbay and the Royal Cornwall, Falmouth.
Hunting: the East Cornwall, North Cornwall,
South Cornwall, Western and Four Burrow. World-class surfing at
Newquay. Royal Cornwall Show held annually on its own ground at
Wadebridge.
Fishing: rivers Camel, Fal, Fowey, Lyd and Tamar.
Notable golfcourses: Newquay, Rock and Padstow.
THE BEST CORNWALL COUNTRY HOUSES
FOR SALE IN 2004
(A breakdown of what was for sale & purchase prices)
Trewarthenick Estate, Tregony, Truro (1737 acre estate, 2.5 miles
frontage on River Fal, grounds by Repton): £9m
Country Life - June 2005
[Back
to Coverage page]
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benefit from the Sands Home Search service, please call in confidence
on 01425 462 549.
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