Unique Grade 2 listed beachside piece of Cornish Heritage with stunning sea view

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Entire home

Overview
Amenities
Policies
Location
Host

3 bedrooms1 bathroomSleeps 82000 sq ft

Popular amenities

Pet friendly

Fireplace

Free WiFi

Outdoor Space

Kitchen

Barbecue grill

Explore the area

Porthtowan, England

Porthtowan Beach4 min walk
Wheal Coates Tin Mine8 min drive
Portreath Beach14 min drive
Plymouth (PLH-Plymouth City)100 min drive

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 8)

Lounge

1 Double Futon

1 bathroom

Bathroom 1

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Shower room 1

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio

Kitchen

Balcony

Dining Area

About this property

The Engine House in Porthtowan is a completely unique part of Cornwall's heritage and lifestyle. Built at the height of the Cornish mining boom, it is a Grade II Listed beachside property with huge character, and is our much-loved home. The reverse level layout gives great beach views from the open-plan first and top floor, and the wrap-around first-floor level deck with pizza oven and outdoor furniture make for a perfect setting. In the heart of Poldark country, Porthtowan is located between Illogan and St. Agnes (known as St. Annes in the book and TV series) with spectacular countryside walks in both directions along the South West Coastal Path. Featured in Charlie Luxton's C4 Programme "Homes by the Sea" in September 2015 , The Engine House is a genuine part of Cornwall's heritage. Charlie says in the show "I could live here - I could definitely live here"! Other TV coverage includes Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure, when he swam in the Victorian tidal pool on the beach, describing it as "perfect". Kevin Mcleod briefly featured The Engine House in Grand Designs (Series 7, episode 18 - where he said "The Engine House at Porthtowan is one of the more successful conversions I have seen. It is unconventional."...."It proves that it is possible to make a beautiful home from these industrial dinosaurs".

Property manager

Robert Salvoni

Languages

English, Italian

Amenities

Kitchen

Washer

Dryer

Pet friendly

Free WiFi

Outdoor Space

Ocean view

Kitchen

Washer

Dryer

House Rules

Check in after 3:00 PM

Check out before 11:00 AM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0-17

Events

Events allowed: family gatherings, birthday parties, weddings

Pets

Pets allowed: limit 3 total

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy

Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges

Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed

Parties and events (including family gatherings, birthday parties and weddings) are allowed on site; maximum attendees: 25

Host has not indicated whether there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property; consider bringing a portable detector with you on the trip

Host has indicated there is a smoke detector on the property

We should mention

A car is recommended for transportation to and from this property

About the neighborhood

Truro

Located in Truro, this vacation home is on the waterfront. The area's natural beauty can be seen at Fistral Beach and Carbis Bay Beach. Treasure Park and West Cornwall Adventure are also worth visiting. Discover the area's water adventures with jet skiing and scuba diving nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with cycling and cave exploring.

What's nearby

Porthtowan Beach - 4 min walk
Wheal Coates Tin Mine - 8 min drive
Trevaunance Cove - 10 min drive
Chapel Porth Beach - 10 min drive
Portreath Beach - 14 min drive

Getting around

Redruth Station - 13 min drive
Newquay (NQY-Newquay Cornwall) - 44 min drive

Restaurants

The Cornish Pantry - 7 min drive
Smokey Joes Cafe - 9 min drive
Portreath Beach Cafe - 10 min drive
Railway Inn - 7 min drive
Gwel an Mor - 11 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Unique Grade 2 listed beachside piece of Cornish Heritage with stunning sea view pet-friendly?

Yes, this property allows pets (limit 3 total).

What time is check-in at Unique Grade 2 listed beachside piece of Cornish Heritage with stunning sea view?

Check-in begins at 3:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Unique Grade 2 listed beachside piece of Cornish Heritage with stunning sea view?

Check-out is at 11:00 AM.

Where is Unique Grade 2 listed beachside piece of Cornish Heritage with stunning sea view located?

Situated on the waterfront, this vacation home is within a 5-minute walk of Porthtowan Beach and Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Chapel Porth Beach and Wheal Coates Tin Mine are also within 3 mi (5 km).

9.4

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labeled.

Learn more

9.0/10

Cleanliness

9.6/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

9.4/10

Listing accuracy

10/10 Excellent

Jordan P.

Oct 19, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Highly recommend!

.We really enjoyed our stay in this sleepy beach town. All you need is within walking distance: a market, a tiny health food store, restaurants, a pub-like restaurant, fish & chips, footpaths along the coastline, the beach (and surfing), cool caves at low tide, historic engine buildings from mining, and ice cream with clotted cream. If you’re up for a long hike 3 or 4 miles each way, you can even hike to a slightly busier British town with traditional pubs, bakeries and cute shops. I highly recommend a car, however, so you can explore other towns along the coast. There are several castles 30 to 60 min away, including St. Michael’s Mount on a little island off Falmouth. The house is very cool and comfy. The owner is friendly and helpful. It’s an old engine house right by the beach. Thank you for opening your home to us.

Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Lissa T.

Oct 15, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Our perfect Porthtowan stay!

Our Engine House stay was beyond our wildest dreams. The house is charming and very well appointed. We had our Cornish cousins to dinner and we had plenty of seating and serving pieces for everyone. The bedding was cozy and comfortable. We had one little problem that Robert took care of very quickly. All in all, absolutely perfect!

Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Philip B.

Aug 24, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Relaxing

Easy process; Beautiful property; Cracking location. Spot on.

Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022

8/10 Good

katie v.

Jan 12, 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Interesting and quirky house

We really enjoyed our Christmas stay in Porthtowan. The Engine house is in a fabulous location to the beach and I imagine in the summer when its busy it would be fabulous to not have to worry about parking. The house itself offered everything we needed as a family. We cooked Christmas dinner and we had all the equipment that we needed. The owners where very nice to deal with and we had a really lovely time.

Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

Tracy L.

Oct 10, 2020

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Porthtowan break

We had a great holiday at The Engine House in Porthtowan.. Beautiful building and the area is great for the dogs. All you need on your doorstep and only 10 minute drive into St Agnes. Only suggestion would be new mattresses in the double rooms as they are a bit lumpy ;-)

Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2020

About the host

Hosted by Robert Salvoni

Having bought the amazing Engine House (property number 8125960) in 2000 and enjoyed every holiday and weekend we could possibly have there as a family from our London home, we fell in love with Cornwall and made the decision to move down full time in 2011. After living at The Engine House for a few years, we moved to a larger home nearby to accommodate our growing family, with the intent of moving back once we get rid of the kids! It is first and foremost a family home, rather than a boutique hotel, and we welcome guests who embrace all that makes Cornish Holidays special. Be careful - holidays in Cornwall can be addictive!

Why they chose this property

Cornwall's metals have been mined since Roman times, and the dramatic landscape owes much to the extraction of tin, copper and Gold. In the 19th Century, local boy Richard Trevithick developed the massive steam Beam Engines that allowed deep mines to be dug without flooding. These had to be housed in tall thin buildings called Engine Houses, the ruins of which punctuate the Cornish countryside.
The Grade II Listed Engine House in Porthtowan is one of only a handful that have been converted to residential use, and of these, the only one actually on a beach! This makes it completely unique, and a fabulous way of enjoying both the heritage and natural wonders of Cornwall together. Conversion and maintenance is always a challenge with these industrial buildings - no cavity walls or double glazing, but we hope you will embrace the quirkiness that makes it so special to us.

What makes this property unique

Apart from staying in a true part of Cornwall's heritage, Porthtowan is a seaside village with everything you might want from a Cornish holiday - a superb Blue-Flag sandy beach, amazing surf with RNLI Lifeguards, long walks along the Coastal Path to the Chapel Porth National Trust Cafe, great food and atmosphere at the renowned Blue Bar and other village amenities including a pub, cafe, fish and chips, post office and general store. It is also centrally located for day trips to the beautiful cathedral city of Truro, Newquay, Falmouth and St Ives. St Michaels Mount, Padstow, Lands End and The Eden Project are all within in a 45 minute radius.