Not everything is about the price, or the space. Sometimes it’s about the story. Born in 1941 and orphaned as a baby, Peter Hone grew up to become, among other things, a pastry cook, a museum attendant, a garden-ornament salesman and, eventually, a master plaster caster (try saying that after a few beers).
His works turned his one-bedroom flat in London’s Notting Hill into an extraordinary museum. He held two auctions — one in 2016 and another in 2023 — raising more than £1 million. Those proceeds were used to buy somewhere special to him: Rosemary Cottage in Penzance.
Rosemary Cottage is now for sale with Lillicrap Chilcott for £315,000 and it is perhaps one of the more unusual and intriguing houses we’ve featured on this site. He had long been a fan of Rosemary Cottage and Penzance, holidaying at the home each September for several years. In the seven years he’s owned it, he’s made it quite special.
The exteriors and indeed the interiors of this two-bedroom retreat on New Street are, and I think this is one of the rare times I can get away with using the word, unique.
The property itself is tucked away in a walled courtyard garden in Abbey Place, behind the Abbey Hotel and mere moments away from the harbourside and the town centre. It’s a gloriously artistic little bolthole in one of Cornwall’s best towns.
When does a house itself become art? It’s hard to say for sure, but this Hone Stone covered cottage must be as close as we’ve seen for some time.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
This Scottish island costs the same as a garage in suburban London, and it's everything that's crazy about the property market
One of the easier games of 'Would you rather' we've ever played.
-
Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
-
Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country LifeSometimes bigger really is better.
-
Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country Life
Sometimes bigger really is better.
-
Gaze over Cap Ferrat in this four-bedroom French villaIgnore the wind and the rain. Imagine yourself in this hillside home with some of the best views the Mediterranean can offer.
-
Classical style meets fun and flair in a seven-bedroom manor in CornwallAt Polstrong Manor, the current owners have combined period charm and elegant modern interiors to create a flamboyant country home 10-minutes from the beach.
-
Two halves make a sublime four-bedroom home in Kent's North DownsA contemporary extension to a traditional clapboard house brings light and life to Lavington House.
-
The week in property statistics: Service charges reach record highPlus, how first-time buyers prop up the mortgage market, why you need to move north if you want to live by yourself, and house-price growth slows
-
A seven-bedroom oast house for sale in East Sussex, where your dreams can run riotUnlisted, yet full of character, this property in the High Weald National Landscape is an eccentrically furnished family home that screams fun.
-
Character, history and comfort combine in a four-bedroom farmhouse in NorfolkWillow Farm near Southburgh is that rarest of things — a perfect combination of period charm and modern elegance in some of England's best countryside.
-
A Grade I-listed Georgian townhouse that's part of the fabric of Bath's historyWith 5,500sq ft set over six floors in the centre of Britain's most architecturally rich city, there is much to love here.
