From a site used by Medieval merchants, to serving as the inspiration behind a classic novel, to a world-famous recording studio, there is plenty to be inspired by at The Old Sawmills, which can be found on its own romantic stretch of river, not far from Fowey in Cornwall.
The Old Sawmills may be accessible only by boat or on foot, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been much visited over the years.
On the contrary, since 1974, the likes of Robert Plant, Stone Roses, Oasis, The Verve, Supergrass and Muse have floated up to its pretty seclusion of 32 acres (mostly woodland), to belt out the much loved tunes of, for example, Definitely Maybe and Origin of Symmetry in its ‘legendary’ lower-ground-floor recording studio.
The property is currently on the market via Strutt & Parker for offers over £2 million.
There are seven bedrooms in the main house (including one that sleeps four), most of which enjoy magnificent views over the garden and creek, called Bodmin Pill—site of a momentous picnic of May 1907, which is said to have inspired Kenneth Grahame.
‘Green turf sloped down to either edge, brown snaky tree-roots gleamed below the surface of the quiet water, while ahead of them the silvery shoulder and foamy tumble of a weir, arm-in-arm with a restless dripping mill-wheel, that held up in its turn a grey-gabled mill- house, filled the air with a soothing murmur of sound, dull and smothery, yet with little clear voices speaking up cheerfully out of it at intervals. It was so very beautiful that the Mole could only hold up both forepaws and gasp, “O my! O my! O my!”.’ (The Wind in the Willows).
A separate two-bedroom timber Lodge was built in 2011 (wild deer have been known to peer through its windows) and the property is only half a mile by boat from the village of Golant; Fowey is about a mile and a quarter in the other direction.
The Old Sawmills is currently on the market via Strutt & Parker for offers over £2 million — see more pictures, or enquire with the agent for further details.
Golant: What you need to know
Location: On the western bank of the River Fowey, just over a mile (by boat) from Fowey town.
Atmosphere: Golant is considered ‘one of the most delightful and desirable places to live on the Fowey Estuary,’ according to the agents, and is home to the renowned Fisherman’s Arms pub. The area was once known for its apple orchards and cider making, with many old fruit trees still dotted around the village. There are a good range of amenities in Fowey, from boutique shops, award-winning restaurants, and the Eden Project is also not far.
Things to do: The river provides excellent mackerel and bass fishing for those keen to catch dinner, and for the water-lovers there is paddle boarding, kayaking and sailing, as well as plenty of wild-swimming opportunities, plus plenty of pretty walks along the river.
Schools: Fowey Primary School and Polruan Primary Academy are close to the area whilst secondary options can be found slightly further afield in Liskeard and Plymouth.
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