With rents at record highs and mortgage rates soaring, you may have dreamed of ditching London and running for the hills. But have you ever considered buying your own?
An “iconic” hill on the Cornish coast has been listed for sale with Lillicrap Chilcott for £150,000.
Tregonning Hill is a granite ridge which meets the coast at Trewavas Head, located just north of the Lizard Peninsula.
As well as being a site of archaeological importance, its claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of the global china clay industry in the 18th century, which went on to become one of Cornwall’s great exports.
Included in the sale are 70 acres of hilltop land, a war memorial, Bronze Age burial mounds, the Iron Age hillfort of Castle Pencaire, two Iron Age defended settlements, a well-preserved medieval field system and, in case that wasn’t enough to tempt you, a quarry.
“I’ve worked with interesting properties in estate agency in Cornwall for the last 20 years, and this is the only time we’ve ever offered something quite as unique and special as this — a proper Cornish landmark and a hill that can be seen for tens of miles around in every direction,” says agent Guy Morse.
The neighbouring Godolphin Hill, belongs to the National Trust. “It’s very rare for something like this to ever be in private ownership.”
Castle Pencaire, the Iron Age hillfort, sits on the summit of the hill, and would once have been a place for trade and focal point for community gatherings. To its south is a Bronze Age barrow where a Roman coin hoard was once discovered.
On the northern slopes of Tregonning Hill, meanwhile, are two smaller defended farmsteads, as well as a system of field strips which have been grazed in more recent times. The hill is protected as a Scheduled Monument, while part of it is also a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Because of this, it is not possible to build on the hill.
“The views are almost incomparable — they stretch for miles and miles in every direction,” says Morse. To the south is the English Channel, with the sweeping, sandy beaches of Mount’s Bay and the tiny island of St Michael’s Mount, topped by a castle. Further afield are the white sand bays and clear blue waters of the Lizard Peninsula and the cliffs of Land’s End.
In the other direction, over the rolling countryside and beyond the sand dunes, is St Ives Bay, with the Atlantic Ocean stretching out before it. Tregonning Hill is intersected by public footpaths, which are popular with hikers. As Morse explains: “People are prepared to walk to the top of the hill on a regular basis to see these views.”
The hill is currently owned by a local person, who bought it from a neighbouring landowner and farmer who had used the land to graze cattle.
The current owner, says Morse, has “felt like a custodian of [the hill] for the last few years”, keeping the footpaths open and allowing others to enjoy the land too.
“She liked the fact that she was the owner of it. It was this beautiful thing that sat behind her house and was something to be proud of.” Now, however, the owner is selling due to ill health.
Within a week of being listed, Morse says that they have received interest from an “incredibly varied” number of people. Some see the land as an investment, while larger conservation charities have been attracted by the SSSI and fact that it is also a Country Wildlife Site.
Tregonning has interested neighbours, been considered as a site for an alternative healing retreat and, for one potential buyer, even been eyed up as an engagement gift.
“Almost inevitably, these kinds of pieces of land have fallen into various larger authorities’ hands. The National Trust owns the majority of these things around Cornwall, and the majority of the coastline. For it to be available for sale by a private individual is really quite special,” says Morse.
“It’s unique, and we’re proud to be offering it for sale.”
