A short boat ride from Fowey lies what is surely Cornwall’s most unusual waterside property: The Old Sawmills. This stands in its own private inlet on the western bank of the River Fowey, between the quaint village of Golant and the town.
Set amid 32 acres of private woodland with no road access, The Old Sawmills is for sale for the first time in 48 years, through the Exeter office of Strutt & Parker at a guide price of £2.25m.
In medieval times, the hidden creek, known as Bodmin Pill, was used by merchants as a landing point to avoid paying landing dues upriver at Lostwithiel, the ancient county capital.
The Old Sawmills is also thought to have provided author Kenneth Grahame, a regular visitor to Fowey, with some of the inspiration for The Wind in the Willows on a picnic to the creek in May 1907. In 1943, the site was requisitioned by the US Army in the run-up to the D-Day landings.
Having acquired the property in 1972, owner Dennis Smith — who describes himself as ‘a music-industry mentor’ — transformed the 3,135sq ft main building into one of the UK’s first residential recording studios. The legendary studio, where bands such as The Stone Roses, Oasis, The Verve, Supergrass and Muse worked by day and partied by night, is on the lower ground floor.
Oasis recorded their breakout album, Definitely, Maybe, at the house in 1990 and enjoyed the experience so much they used the studio — and the house — repeatedly after that. If you're looking for lurid tales, however, it seems there are none: 'They were really sweet — not at all like their public image,' one of the studio staff apparently said at the time.
The comfortable main house comprises a large conservatory with dramatic water and woodland views, a huge central open-plan kitchen/sitting room, seven bedrooms and five bath/shower rooms.
With further accommodation available in the two-bedroom lodge, The Old Sawmills has also been a successful holiday let in recent years. It comes with two private pontoons and the right to a mooring on the Fowey estuary.
The Old Sawmills is for sale through Strutt & Parker at £2.25m — see more details and pictures.
Credit: Savills
Moving to the West Country? Three superb country houses for sale in Somerset, Devon and Dorset
James Fisher picks out three of the finest homes for sale right now in the West Country.
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
-
How to make a gloomy city garden into a haven of colour and natureTiffany Daneff discovers how to transform a typically dark London back garden into a light-filled green haven that is always in use. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
-
The world's hairiest animal, Saturday Night Fever and winning the lottery twice: Country Life Quiz of the Day 21 February 2025Have a stab at our Quiz of the Day. Good luck!
-
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.
-
17 delightful homes for sale, as seen in Country LifeOur round-up of some of the best houses to come to the market via Country Life this week includes a wonderful Cotswolds home and a happily affordable cottage in the West Country.
-
'This is the most money you'll spend on anything ever': The things that really matter when buying your first home in LondonIt’s easy to dream of what the ideal first-home in London might be, but when the cost of living in the capital is this expensive, being near a Gail's isn't as important as you think it is.
