Two Waters Foot, Liskeard, Cornwall

Magnificent views extend down to the Glynn Valley in Liskeard, Cornwall, from this 19th-century four-bedroom house. Dating to c.1840, the house is a wonderful example of the Cornish vernacular: heavy mudstone walls are clad in rag slate, an architecture that resonates with the surrounding landscape of deep valleys and tor-covered heathlands. The house sits within 14 acres of grounds encompassing ancient broadleaf woodlands, vegetable gardens and ponds and extending to the banks of the River Bedalder, where a carpet of wild garlic and watercress emerges each year. Recently extended to designs by Acro 2 Architects, a stone barn provides further accommodation.

Setting the Scene

The single slate wall of the house is a nod to a rich history of building tradition that dates back to the 12th century. From the 15th century, it replaced the more commonplace thatch and remains a significant aspect of the visual character of Cornwall to this day, particularly in the south and west-facing walls of this area. Although this is functional, designed to protect from the prevailing direction of rain, it has subsequently become a distinctive feature of the local architecture.

The Grand Tour

Flanked by fields and ancient hedgerows, a lane descends the side of the valley to the house. A pair of French doors, painted in a deep ‘Studio Green’ by Farrow & Ball, are set in the slate-clad façade of the house and are currently used as the main entrance. The doors open directly to the open-plan kitchen and living room, where large slabs of reclaimed Welsh slate run underfoot. Oak beams span overhead, washed in ‘James White’ by Farrow & Ball. A kitchen composed of timber cabinetry with oak stave worktops, a double butler sink surrounded by slate, and a four-door Aga is positioned to the rear of the plan. A pair of French casement windows are set into the thick stone walls, their deep sills making a good spot for a vase of flowers cut from the garden. At the front of the plan is the living area, where a wood-burning stove sits in a white stone surround, imbuing the room with a warm and inviting atmosphere.

From here is the dining room, where a casement window and a door to the garden can be thrown open in the summer months to take in the heady scents of lavender and pear and the soft sounds of the Bedalder River. In the winter, a wood-burning stove can be lit for a cosy evening meal.

Next door, a flight of steps rise to the sitting room. This room was originally a barn connected to the house, with its exposed eaves, generous proportions and bright colour palette affording it a spacious feel. Reclaimed pine flooring is laid underfoot, and a large wood-burner is positioned under an impressive granite lintel. On one side of the room windows overlook the garden, including a Juliet balcony that opens to allow far-reaching views across the valley and its woodlands. Located on the lower floor of the barn wing is a double bedroom with an en suite bathroom and its own entrance to the front of the house.

At the rear of the ground floor is a large utility room as well as a WC/shower room, both opening from a central hallway. Victorian red and black quarry tiles arranged in a checkerboard pattern flow throughout the rooms. Tongue-and-groove fronted built-in cupboards and double aspect windows render the utility room a surprisingly remarkable room.

A staircase ascends to the first floor, where there are three further bedrooms and a family bathroom. The valley views from the double bedrooms at the front of the plan provide wonderful year-round vistas. The main bedroom is here, with built-in wardrobes and an original Victorian fireplace. An en suite bathroom adjoins, with a roll-top claw-foot bathtub.

Across the gravel drive from the main house is an old stone barn, now a one-bedroom cottage with a cedar-clad extension, converted in collaboration with Acro 2 Architects. On the ground floor, in the original part of the barn, is a kitchen with timber cabinetry, a double butler sink and a four-ring induction hob. Next to it, at the front of the plan, is a living room, with glazed bifold doors that open to a balcony with valley views. There is a shower room upstairs, as well as a double bedroom with an adjoining private patio; honeysuckle, rose and clematis grow here, along with trachelospermum jasminoides, with its leaves of dark green in summer and rich bronze in winter.

The Great Outdoors

The house is surrounded by 14 acres of grounds that include planted gardens, vegetable plots, woodlands and ponds. The land has been gently managed by its current owners to encourage biodiversity; buzzards, bullfinches, nuthatches and black caps visit regularly, with orange tip, peacock, brimstone, commas, and red admirals fluttering past.

The gardens surrounding the house are full of well-established camellias and azaleas, snowdrops, daffodils and frittilaries, as well as copper beech, grandiflora, acers and alder trees. A flint stoned patio at the top of the garden is a perfect place for an al fresco lunch backdropped by purple flowering wisteria and a wild cherry tree. Below is a vegetable garden suited for growing a rotating crop of produce, as well as a greenhouse and a fruit cage for growing perennial blackcurrants, raspberries, redcurrants and strawberries.

In conjunction with the Woodland Trust, approximately three acres of the grounds have been given over to newly planted woodlands, including sessile oak, sweet chestnut, hawthorn, hazel and hornbeam. At the edge of the woodlands, the current owners have positioned beehives and a polytunnel where they grow purple spouting broccoli, kale, cimi de rapa, parsley and chervil.

The River Bedalder, with riparian rights, runs the length of the western side of the property, its banks including wild garlic, watercress, herbaceous planting and indigenous trees.

A series of outbuildings sit at the rear of the house, including a garden store, a workshop and wood store, and a garage.

Out and About

The house is situated to the south of Bodmin Moor. The moor forms part of the Cornwall AONB and many established walking trails weaving across its a landscape of granite tors and wooded valleys. The Smugglers Way runs from Boscastle to Looe and takes in the two highest hills in the area, Brown Willy and Roughtor, while the 60-mile Copper Trail runs the edge of the moor, linking many former mining villages.

The nearby Cardinham Valley is a haven for walkers and cyclists with miles of woodland trails and delightful scenery, all within the Forestry Commission owned Cardinham Woods. The National Trust-owned Lanhydrock House is a short drive from the house and is surrounded by a thousand acres of parklands, woodlands and heath, as well as numerous formal gardens.

The delights of Cornwall’s coastline are nearby; To the south, Fowey and Charleston are approximately 35-minutes drive from the house where there is a fantastic selection of independent shops, cafés, and restaurants, including the well-revered North Street Kitchen. To the north Port Isaac and Padstow are within an hour’s drive. The charming harbour of Port Isaac is the setting for Nathan Outlaw’s Michelin-Starred The Fish Kitchen, and the town makes a lovely place to commence a hike along the Coastal Path. The beloved fishing village of Padstow, renowned for the restaurants owned by Rick Stein, such as The Seafood Restaurant and by Paul Ainsworth, such as No.6, in addition to the hip Prawn on the Lawn. Cornwall’s northern coast also has ample options for surfing and sailing.

For daily amenities the nearest village is St. Neot, approximately a 10-minute drive from the house. Here, there is a village shop, a post office, a primary school and nursery and a pub, the London Inn, which serves a seasonal menu of locally sourced fare and a wonderful selection of Cornish ales. For further conveniences, the town of Bodmin can be reached in 20 minutes by car, and Plymouth in less than an hour.

For schools, St. Neot Community Primary School and Callywith College secondary school in Bodmin are both rated outstanding.

Bodmin Parkway Station is 20-minutes drive from the house; from here trains run direct to London Paddington in approximately four hours. The nearby town of Bodmin links to the A30 towards Exeter, and from here there are links to the M5 towards Bristol and the A303 towards London.

Council Tax Band: F