Coombe is a small hamlet at the forgotten junction of two wooded valleys in North Cornwall. Mill, millhouse and anciently picturesque cottages cluster in orchards around the ford of a shallow stream, just half a mile from the sea at Duckpool, where half tide exposes a sandy beach. The hamlet once belonged in part to the Grenville family of the long-demolished Stowe Barton, and its souls were later under the care of the Reverend Stephen Hawker, celebrated Vicar of Morwenstow. Landmark’s presence at Coombe (and only our visitors populate it today) preserves the hamlet and its exceptional setting in a joint scheme with the National Trust, who own most of the surrounding land and coastline.

The Carpenter's Shop was where a family of carpenters called Tape carried on their trade from the early nineteenth century. Much of their work must have come from the Stowe estate, which perhaps helped them put up this handsome workshop in about 1830. When we came to Coombe it had been derelict for many years.

Our architect, the late Paul Pearn, took pains to preserve its spare and functional character in the new arrangement: a large living-room open to the roof and two bedrooms leading off a gallery, reached by a spiral stair. The living-room has a slate floor and an open fire, formerly the forge. The doors open to a large old orchard leading down to the stream.

View our history sheet for this Landmark.
 

Sleeps: 4