Chapel House, Penzance
Some places have a special corner in the nation’s collective heart. It might be that they will forever be linked to some glorious historic event, or maybe they’re known through sporting fame or they’re just so plain gorgeous and good looking that people love to visit. Penzance is one such place. It is mainly famous for being at the end of the line, but it is a truly wonderful terminus. It is the town famous for being situated where Britain ends and the great wild ocean begins.
View from Penzance - or Chapel House to be exact
During the few times I’ve lived in London, I have loved the idea that the big noisy smelly capital city is directly linked to such a place. The idea that you can climb aboard a train and, without getting off or changing services, you can be whisked westwards to a tough granite-bound place where the waves are wild and where dolphins play, seemed - and seems - almost miraculous. I realise I’m a bit odd in this way and that 99 percent of Londoners probably never think of Penzance, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the far west town and, from what I can make out, I am not alone.
Okay, so it’s not as quaintly pretty or anywhere near as rich in surfing beaches as it’s more popular neighbour to the north, St Ives, but then it’s never anywhere near as crowded or as dominated by holiday rentals. In comparison, Penzance - along with its excellent near-neighbour, Newlyn - feels like a real and authentic community. Yes, a bit rough at some of the edges, but you can never escape the feeling that local people live there.
The other thing about Penzance is that it is very much the capital of West Penwith - that unique, granite-bound, almost-mythical, finger of land that acts so gloriously as the toe of the British Isles. I have always said that if I wasn’t so addicted to my native West Somerset, I’d be happy to relocate to the far-flung land west of Penzance, and I mean it.
All of which was why I was recently delighted to discover a wonderful venue in the town that lies at the end of the line. And I mean a truly wonderful venue, located right in the heart of Penzance, where one can stay in great style while exploring the area.
Actually, I knew Chapel House years ago when it was known as the Penzance Arts Club and used to stay there often when my journalistic wanderings for this newspaper group meant making regular visits to the Scillies. Back then, the “Portuguese Embassy” (as some locals call it, for slightly inaccurate historic reasons) was an interesting and shall we say cosy place, very much in the “shabby-chique” mode. But, it has changed. Been given an upgrade.
Chapel House
Chapel House still retains all of its original charm, but Susan Stuart, the woman who now owns and runs the place, must have spent a large fortune on its pitch-perfect renovation. Let’s put it this way: as a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers I have, over many years, been fortunate enough to have stayed at some of the prettiest, glitziest, classiest, poshest boutique hotels around the globe. In terms of good looks and style, Penzance’s Chapel House would give any of them a run for their money.
However, there’s one proviso about the above claim… I used the phrase “boutique hotel” - but Susan Stuart insists on the term “guesthouse”.
“That’s what we are in the true sense of the word,” Susan told me, as she prepared us a very good breakfast the other day. “There’s no reception desk where you have to check in, and we haven’t got a bar - so it is not a hotel. Our job, first and foremost is to make people feel really at home. We want them to come in through the door and be able to relax. You are not met by a reception desk at someone’s house. Yes, there’s always someone (a member of staff) here so that you are welcomed and you can always have a drink or piece of cake or, for that matter, go in the sauna or have a go in the hot tub.
“But it’s informal. A house that has guests. A guesthouse, in the truest sense of the word. I realise that the phrase can have connotations which can remind people of the old-fashioned seaside landladies. We’re not like that.”
Certainly not. The place has been beautifully transformed so that every inch - and really do mean every inch - portrays a sense of well crafted perfection.
The grand old town house, situated just a stone-throw from the harbour, was built in 1790 to the highest standards of the day, and has been home to several notable figures. These include Admiral Samuel Hood Linzee of HMS Temeraire (made famous by JMW Turner’s iconic painting). It was also the base of the Carne family, an influential banking and mining dynasty instrumental in the development of Penzance during the 19th century through investments in the harbour and railways.
Susan, an ex-City of London executive and charity CEO, discovered the place in 2012, fell in love with it. “I knew Penzance well. I’d had an old friend who moved here in the early 90s and I helped him move.After that, I regularly came down to stay because I just took to Penzance - I really loved the place.”
The large old house has been brought back to life following an extensive two-year redesign and renovation by Loci Architecture and Catling Construction. combining carefully preserved original features with contemporary touches. The décor takes its lead from the sea, featuring soft greys, greens and blues, enhanced by the natural light which floods the building.
The Newlyn School of Art curates a constantly changing gallery of artwork in the entrance hall and first floor landing, juxtaposing beautiful modern art next to the traditional Georgian features in a stunning partnership.
Chapel House art
Guests enter up the stone stairs into a hallway, with light flooding through the original Georgian windows, and turn into the drawing room. This calm and warm room is the perfect place to curl up on the sofa with a good book, or to look out towards the sea and watch the sky. The bedrooms (of which there are six) are on the first and second floor, and all have sea views. Three, indeed, have large sea-facing windows giving impressive views over Penzance harbour and Mount's Bay.
Each of the rooms boasts an impressive bathroom, four featured egg-shaped baths by Cabuchon in four of the rooms, which almost look like modern art themselves. The other two rooms have a Japanese soaking tub (with sea-view window) and a magical rooftop bath, ideal for a moonlit soak looking up at the stars.
Chapel House lounge
The lower ground floor plays host to the kitchen and dining area, with its original flagstones - and this is where you go for one of Susan’s magnificence home-prepared breakfasts or for some complimentary cake or a coffee. Just outside, there’s a private outdoor area, with a sea facing terrace and a garden planted with ‘Cornwall Exotics’.
It is a wonderful, informal, relaxing place in which to enjoy the Capital of the West. To quote the blurb: “Chapel House straddles the line between beautiful original features and modern decor, where abstract art rubs shoulders with decorative cornicing, with wonderful results.”
I don’t know about Portuguese embassy - it can be the West Somerset Embassy whenever I’m down west.
Chapel House garden
Barbican Bistro
While we were staying at Penzance’s Chapel House we strolled out for an evening meal at the Barbican Bistro, a delightful little place just two minute walk down the road. Barbican Bistro. This local dining hotspot was opened just last year by local brothers Jay and Jack Liddicoat, and it serves the very freshest local seafood. And so it should, seeing that Jack and Jay’s father is a fisherman based at Newlyn just a mile away, and he supplies them with the very best catch of the day.
The brothers grew up in Penzance, and Jay went on to work in London for well known Dorset chef Mark Hix and other top restaurants - an experience which has helped the Barbican Bistro gain a strong following. The restaurant closed in the early spring for renovation to extend the seating area in the historic building after being awarded funds from the Penzance Town Deal Enterprise fund. The brothers specialise in small plates and menu includes a plethora of seasonal produce, including butterflied sardines with salsa verde, scallops, squid, whole roasted sole, mussels and more.
PENZANCE STAGES FIRST FOOD FESTIVAL
The first ever Penzance Food Festival will take place in September, delivering a platform for local chefs, food producers, musicians and artists. The event, which will take place between the 13 and 15th of the month, will be staged within the leafy boundaries of Penlee Park, giving visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the creative community of this historic coastal town.
The event is the brainchild of three Cornish foodies - Harry James-Mills and Barney Farnworth, who bring their experience of running the hugely successful Falmouth Food Festival - and Oona Burch, a local chef and baker. They have been working to find and invite food traders, musicians, artists and services, all from within a 30 kilometre radius of the town.
A spokesman told us: “It’s a free-to-enter even and there will be an exciting schedule over the three days. Alongside a diverse collection of food traders, the main stage will host many exciting bands and musicians. You can also expect demonstrations and talks from some of the best chefs and producers in the county, a jam-packed makers tent, a well-stocked bar, plus a wine tasting bar hosted by ELIXR Wine.
Event organiser Oona Burch commented: “Penzance and West Penwith has long been an inspirational setting for artists and rich in terms of produce from the land and sea. We want to create a platform for the community and visitors to engage with the people that grow, catch, produce and cook their food, and put on a welcoming and entertaining event while we are at it!”
She added that Penzance was the first town in the country to be awarded Plastic Free status and that dedication to sustainability has become second nature for many of the town’s businesses. “We want to champion seasonality, sustainability and locality and show that it is possible.”
Harry James-Mills added “We have been overwhelmed by the response - it’s something that residents and businesses have been waiting for and we know that they are going to show up and support us.”
