Fore Street, West Looe, Looe, Cornwall

History

Darloe House is featured in the Looe Town Plan as a building of particular historical significance. It was built in about 1800 for Lieutenant Parkins Prynne, a local naval officer who fought on HMS Achille at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and is known locally as ‘The Captain’s House’.

Hall

Set in the traditional Georgian layout, the property boasts a grand entrance hallway with the original sweeping staircase and a beautiful arched window which allows daylight to shine in.

Music Room

On the left of the hall there is a stunning Music room with original Georgian window shutters, gorgeous alcoves with shelving, the original feature fireplace and a dado rail – but in a holiday let this room could also serve as an elegant downstairs bedroom.

Drawing Room

On the right, the Drawing room provides a relaxing and equally elegant entertaining area; it too has original Georgian window shutters, book-lined alcoves, and the original marble fireplace and dado rail.

Utility Room

Off the hall, there is a large utility room with a very spacious Belfast sink, slate work surfaces, and space for appliances – and a door gives access to the attached workshop/storage area. There is also a downstairs shower room and toilet, and cloakroom.

Dining Room

The hall leads into the dining room which is equally impressive. It has the original feature fireplace and slate hearth, solid mahogony flooring, and beautiful French windows overlooking the kitchen garden.

Kitchen/breakfast room

From the Dining room, a granite step leads into the breakfast room and kitchen, which is part of the Victorian extension completed around 1860. The kitchen offers a range of base and wall-mounted units, including closed and glass-fronted cupboards. There is also a breakfast bar with flowing worktop space and a lot of room for appliances. The exposed stone wall – the outer wall of the original Georgian house – gives this room real character. At the end of the kitchen there is a Falcon range cooker with bespoke hand-painted tiled splashbacks. A window overlooks the walled kitchen garden, a Velux window provides further natural light, and a wooden door gives access to the kitchen garden which has a sheltered patio area for barbecuing and dining.

Upstairs Accommodation

The main staircase at the end of the hall leads up to an extremely impressive landing area. There are four bedrooms, all of which are spacious and comfortable. The front bedrooms all have harbour, river, and sea views. Bedroom 2 has a vanity unit and sink, and Bedroom 3 has a pedestal basin. The main bathroom has an elegant slipper bath, toilet, large shower and airing cupboard, and there is an adjacent separate toilet. There is a second staircase from the kitchen which leads up to the study. This has extensive shelves and a window overlooking the harbour, but the study could also serve as a bedroom if needed.

Front entrance and garages

Entrance to Darloe House is through wrought iron gates which used to be the old Victorian gates to Liskeard Police Station. Either side of the gates are two garages belonging to the property, and on top are newly-installed iron railings and a wall for safety.

Gardens

The Georgian period saw formality give way to a naturalistic style in gardening, inspired in part by paintings of classical views. Georgian gardens were designed to be seen from the house but were not seen as an extension or as an outdoor room like they are today. The gardens at Darloe House compliment the property’s stature and importance. Herbaceous borders and bedding areas are used to soften the perimeter walls and to add interest whilst attracting wildlife.

Front Garden

The front garden was re-designed in the formal Georgian style by Sarah Hill in 2009. After the initial set of stone steps between the two garages, a natural stone path with surrounding warm golden pea shingle and Box hedging provides a formal approach towards the front elevation. A small area of grass leads to a path, again lined by Box hedging, with adjacent formal rose garden and other herbaceous borders. This culminates in a shingle area with circular Box hedging in front of both ground floor windows as you approach the front door. To the right is the walled kitchen garden with raised vegetable beds and mixed planting with standard roses and other shrubs. To the left is a gate leading to a paved area by the workshop, which then leads to the courtyard.

Back garden and courtyard

At the back of the house there is a paved courtyard, from which a series of steps and paths lead up to a greenhouse, tool shed, cold frame and pond. A wooden bridge reaches across the pond taking you from one tier to another in this spacious and beautifully laid out back garden. Vibrant planting encases the terraced areas, and there is an abundance of shrubs, flowers and fruit trees surrounded by several areas of lawn. At the top of the garden there is a large south-facing patio – from which there are superb views of the sea and Rame Head – and there is a bespoke summerhouse. Built in 2018, the summerhouse boasts double glazing, a pair of stunning stained glass windows, and provides an oasis of calm. On one side, there is a fenced area with raised vegetable beds, and on the other side there is a small paved area for outdoor eating and a shed for storing garden furniture.

About the area

Looe is a very attractive and historic fishing town and seaside resort, with the River Looe dividing the town into East and West Looe. It has a resident population of about 5000, and has its own GP surgery, as well as a primary and secondary school. In the summer months there is an influx of visitors and holidaymakers, but outside of the high season there is still plenty to do. Looe has an excellent selection of shops, restaurants and cafes, most of which are open throughout the winter, and the south-west coastal path is on the doorstep. There is also the music festival in September, and the renowned fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

Communications

Buses connect Looe with its surrounding villages as well as Liskeard and Plymouth. A very scenic railway branch line also connects Looe with Liskeard, a mainline station with direct trains to London Paddington, Bristol, Midlands and the North. By car, Liskeard is 20 minutes, and St. Austell or Plymouth are 45 minutes away.