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Living in the real-life Cotchester, why would anyone buy a public toilet near Truro and how it took 21 years to designate a footpath

James Fisher James Fisher

Plus the quiz of the day, saving Britain's most southerly post office, and the Quiz of the Day — it's the Dawn Chorus

Needs a bit of work

There are turnkey properties. There are ‘fixer uppers’. There are properties that you might accurately refer to as s**t tips. And then there are actual public loos that you can buy. 

Who would buy a public loo, you might reasonably ask? Well, in London, just about everyone, because if there is a space available to be purchased, it will be purchased and turned into some kind of bar/axe-throwing venue/cheese shop/adult soft-play area. However, it seems the desire to purchase ex-urinals has now extended all the way to the west of England, with Cornwall Live reporting that a toilet block in the village of Malpas near Truro has just been sold for £258,000.

Derelict public toilets have been in fashion for some time in London. We were hoping it wouldn’t catch on elsewhere. Credit: Getty

That sum of £258,000, by the way, was almost 10 times the asking price for this particular ‘property’, but to be fair, it does come with ‘picturesque riverside views’. 232 people bid for the loos, with auctioneer David Henwood saying: ‘Bidders were undoubtedly attracted by the potential of this site within the sought after riverside community of Malpas. It enjoys picturesque views across the River Fal in a location close to Truro. The new owner may have a number of different future uses in mind, including some form of residential project, subject to the necessary planning consents.’

Indeed, we look forward to watching this particular disaster unfold on Grand Designs in a few years time. 

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 Quiz of the day

1) In which county is the Britannia Royal Naval College?

2) An adult human skeleton is composed of how many bones?

3) Lonicera is more commonly known as what?

4) Who became the first Children’s Laureate in 1999?

5) How many players are there in a netball team?

The 21-year footpath battle

For the past 21 years, Susan Simpson had been locked in a legal battle with a landowner over a footpath in Derbyshire. Her story, told to Derbyshire Live, is certainly an inspiring one.

The footpath, which runs near a busy junction of the M1, had been in use for decades until one morning it was blocked off at both ends by locked gates. Concerned residents, the backbone of any rural community, objected, with Ms Simpson taking the charge. She began the effort to get it added to the Derbyshire County Council definitive map of footpaths, although she can’t have imagined how long it would take.

Locals were canvassed and asked to show that they used the footpath, which they did. A public consultation was held by the council, to consider evidence for and against. The council refused the application. Ms Simpson appealed. So far, we are only five years in.

The Secretary of State’s Independent Inspector got involved. The landowner got involved. Objections were thrown around. The Secretary of State got involved. 10 more years went by. Still the footpath remained closed.

Who doesn’t love a footpath? Quite often, the people who own them it seems. Credit: Getty

19 years later, in August 2022, Ms Simpson was told she would have to represent herself at a public inquiry. With no experience, she turned to John Harker, courts and inquiries officer at Peak & Northern Footpaths Society. His assistance proved invaluable, and in 2023 she defeated a legal team and a London chambered barrister, with the inspector ruling in her favour. 

But still, the footpath remained closed. It was only after further legal proceedings were brought that the landowner installed gates and fencing to protect the route. Victory for Ms Simpson, at last.

‘Part of me wishes I’d never challenged the closure of the footpath,’ Ms Simpson said. ‘It would have been nice to use the path over all the years, but I almost feel as if it is too late now.

‘Out of the 23 people who stood as witnesses all those years ago, many of them have died or moved away. It’s just sad that they did not get to use the footpath again. When the footpath was blocked off, I felt that I had to do something to get it reopened, but I never imagined it would take such a long time to sort it out.

‘Ignorance was bliss, otherwise I might never have started. Thanks to the help from John and Peak and Northern, we got our case across as well as we could and got the outcome we wanted in the end.’

Live your own Rivals fantasy

We’ve long been fans of Dame Jilly Cooper here at Country Life (well, most of us, anyway). Her books are much loved, and the TV show Rivals is taking Disney+ by storm it seems. But what if that’s not enough? What if you want to live in the real village of Tetbury, otherwise known as the fictional village of Cotchester? Knight Frank have you covered, with this divine Cotswolds townhouse. Rupert Campbell-Black might not be your neighbour, but The King will be.

Can you save the most southerly post office in Great Britain?

Credit: Getty Images

Another day, another bad bit of post-office news. It has been revealed by Cornwall Live (big morning for them) that the UK’s most southerly post office is set to close after 126 years. Len and Lynda Trott have decided that 36 years is enough, and the post office in The Lizard shall be no more.

But, it doesn’t have to be. The post office is for sale with Miller Commercial and Miller Countrywide for £575,000. ‘There’s so much scope, there really is,’ sas Mrs Trott. ‘We’re reluctant to leave it, but there’s only two of us. It’s a lovely building.’

Surely you’ve had enough of the hustle and bustle of the city by now? Go on, go run a post office in Cornwall. You’ll love it.

That’s all for today, we’ll be back tomorrow

Quiz answers

1) Devon

2) 206

3) Honeysuckle

4) Quentin Blake

5) Seven