Higher Tolvan, Gweek, Cornwall

In a sought-after spot above the Helford River near Gweek, Cornwall, lies this beautiful converted stone barn, completed in 2023. It spans just under 2,100 sq ft and has stellar eco credentials. Outside is a garden of approximately 1.1 acres, visually connected to the internal plan by swathes of glazing. Included in the sale is ‘The Orchard’, a half-acre organic meadow adjacent to the house and planted with fruit trees. Despite its rural idyll, Falmouth, Helston, St Ives, and the coastal offerings of the Lizard Peninsula are all in easy reach of this carefully transformed, elegantly extended home.

Environmental Performance

Environmental considerations were crucial to the design and construction of Higher Tolvan. As a result, it has excellent energy efficiency, with solar-powered batteries, air-source heat pumps, and a high level of insulation in the external roof and walls. Underfloor heating runs throughout, and a borehole provides an independent water supply.

The Tour

The house lies at the tip of a tree-lined driveway - a private, tranquil position. It has several points of access, with the primary entrance on the southern façade.

Inside are a series of astonishingly bright, interconnected living spaces in an open-plan layout. Designed to easily adapt from everyday living to social entertaining, the kitchen and dining room occupy the western wing. Micro-cement runs underfoot, and handcrafted joinery is paired with cast concrete work surfaces to form the bespoke kitchen. Large picture windows are strategically placed to frame views over the garden.

A large utility space, a cloakroom, and a shower room are also in this section of the house. The owners have sourced some of the antique doors and hardware from Spain, which, along with the softly delicate plasterwork, lends the house a subtle Mediterranean feel. High ceilings follow the pitch of the roofline, adding an exaggerated sense of volume.

The generous dining area is set to one side of the room, with floor-to-ceiling glazing that forges a strong connection between inside and out. A pair of timber-framed glass doors connects to the central section of the home, where a more intimate seating area has been neatly arranged to one side. A modern Corten log burner is a striking centrepiece. There is also a study set behind salvaged timber panelling from the orangery at the owners' previous cliff-top dwelling.

The east wing of the ground floor level is dedicated to an elegant bedroom suite with a calming atmosphere. Ribbons of glass anchor the space in its bucolic setting. The en suite bathroom has a large oval Lusso Stone bathtub, a walk-in shower and brushed-gold sanitaryware.

Upstairs, via a winding central staircase, two further bedrooms flank a central bathroom. Large skylights bring excellent light and airflow, while floating mullion windows look to the fields beyond the house.

Outdoor Space

The idyllic 1.1-acre garden melds with the surrounding landscape and attracts a variety of wildlife and birdlife. South-facing terraces lead directly from the house, providing a perfect perch for outdoor dining or hosting. Beyond, undulating lawns flow to a border of mature trees and hedging. Shingled pathways wrap the house, leading to a series of raised beds for growing vegetables, fruit and flowers to the rear.

The current owners have recently added a new electric Finnish sauna and plunge bath, close to the house and strategically placed to take in views across the fields.

Included in the sale of Higher Tolvan is a separate half-acre parcel of land to the east of the house. This is known to the current owners as ‘The Orchard’, and is planted with a variety of fruit trees.

The Area

Equidistant from the popular towns of Porthleven and Falmouth, Gweek lies just east of Helston in Cornwall. The beautiful Helford River, with its sailing facilities and glorious sub-tropical gardens, is five minutes from the house. Gweek’s Classic Boatyard and café are a short bike ride or 20-minute walk away.

The local village is home to an excellent pub, The Black Swan, which has been recently refurbished; it has wonderful local ales and food and a cosy log burner. There is also a fantastic local shop that sells a delectable array of goods.

Popular café, restaurant and bakery Flora, at the historic and unspoilt Trelowarren estate, is 15 minutes away by car. The independent shops of Helston are a 15-minute drive away, notably CAST Café and a 15th-century pub with an onsite brewery, The Blue Anchor.

The house is also exceptionally well located for easy access to the Lizard Heritage Coast. The golden sands of Church Cove, a hidden gem perfect for surfing, swimming and bathing, can be reached in less than 20 minutes by car. Dollar Cove, which takes its name from the silver dollars that still wash up from an ancient wreck and the charming 13th-century church, St. Winwalloe, are also within easy reach. Lizard Point, Britain’s most southerly, is a 25-minute drive away.

The cathedral city of Truro is approximately 30 minutes by car. It has a fantastic selection of independent shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as a museum and theatre.

The university port of Falmouth is 25 minutes away, with an ever-growing arts and music community, there are a host of artisan food stores, independent and antique shops abound, along with a new world music venue, arthouse cinema, waterside restaurants and pubs and the National Maritime Museum.

St Ives is within a 45-minute drive to the north-west, with its own Tate and Anima Mundi Gallery, a leading contemporary art gallery in the South West. It is also home to the wonderfully preserved Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. Nearby is Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, host to a multitude of installations by international artists.

Local schools include the Zelda and Boskenwyn schools in Gweek, along with primary and secondary options in the harbour village of Mullion, Truro School and Truro High School for Girls, and Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Falmouth are all also near.

From Truro, there is easy access to the A39 and A30. Stations in Truro and Redruth are both 30 minutes by car, providing direct GWR links to London Paddington in four and a half hours.

Council Tax Band: D