Take a tour of Port Eliot in Cornwall

By Janet Gleeson

Published: Saturday, 05 November 2022 at 12:00 am

Here and there damask wall hangings have faded to the mottled shades of setting plaster. Books are haphazardly piled beneath an exquisite 17th-century Dutch cabinet and rare Van Dyck portraits peep out from the mad encrustations on a neo-baroque frame.

Nearby, a couple of psychedelic surfboards are propped in a corner, and an extravagantly scaled flower and feather-garlanded chandelier, made by set designer Michael Howells, is suspended amid the classically restrained proportions of a room designed by Sir John Soane.

Such seemingly incongruous ingredients sum up the whacky appeal of Port Eliot: ‘It’s a family home, not a museum,’ says Ruth Goodland, Port Eliot’s guide, in explanation. ‘And the family still live here and love it as it is.’

She could add that what makes Port Eliot special is that it’s a house that has broadly escaped modernisation, where monastic remnants, Regency grandeur and a sprinkling of 21st-century arts comfortably coexist.

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Under the same sprawling roof you’ll find traces of a floor that dates back to AD300, when Port Eliot was a thriving monastery. (The house thus lays claim to being England’s oldest inhabited building.)

Not far away there’s a controversial mural on the walls of a neoclassical interior designed by Sir John Soane. ‘Some people love it, but others think it’s dreadful,’ says Lucy Walker, events manager. Either way, it’s impossible not to be astonished.

In most practical senses, Port Eliot is out of sync with the modern world. There are 11 staircases, 82 chimneys and half an acre of roof. But there are only 11 radiators to heat the 124 rooms, and in them little has changed over the past two centuries.

The green wallpaper lining the Lobby was made in the 1800s using arsenic. ‘We were told by the late Earl that no one had ever died, but not to go licking it,’ says Ruth.

The medieval cellars were remodelled in the 19th century into an array of service rooms. Opening off a wide central corridor a Scullery, China Closet, Lamp Room, a Still Room and a Carpenter’s Closet remind you of the numerous staff who once lived and worked here.

In the main kitchen, which is still used by the Eliot family, the Esse oven dates back to c1900. The dishes in the porcelain cupboard are still used at dinner. ‘I wouldn’t dare to ask anyone to pass me the potatoes – the china is so valuable,’ says Lucy.

Threadbare carpets and frayed bed hangings apart, the powerful imprint of the Eliots, who moved in after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and whose lives and loves shape every room, remains indelible. The word ‘democracy’ is said to have first been coined by Sir Thomas Elyot, a courtier amongst Henry VIII’s retinue, whose portrait hangs in the Lobby.

Of all the characters in this remarkable family, it’s hard to surpass Peregrine, 10th Earl of St Germans, who died aged 75 last year. ‘He was knowledgeable, hospitable and bohemian and loved the house,’ says Ruth.

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The 10th Earl was something of a Byronic rebel: he founded the Port Eliot festival, inviting stars of music, literature and food to perform. He also parked his Harley-Davidson in the Round Room, where he left his most dramatic mark.

Considered to be one of Sir John Soane’s masterpieces, the room served as a junk store until, in the 1980s, Peregrine commissioned the artist Robert Lenkiewicz to decorate it.

The mural was never finished and is not for the faint-hearted: portraits of family members, estate workers and friends feature alongside fantastical elements, such as Dando, a ghostly monk, who is said to haunt the grounds with a pack of hounds. The fireplace is decorated with wooden books carved from logs by Heathcote Williams.

Since Lord St Germans’ death the house has entered a pivotal new chapter. Albie, his grandson and successor, is only 12 years old, and the estate is run by trustees. ‘Albie loves the house and it’s great to think there’s a little chap coming on who cares,’ says Lucy.

Meanwhile, without compromising the late Earl’s wishes, tweaks are being made. A suite known as the Terrace Rooms have become guest accommodation. ‘The work started before Lord St Germans died. He was upset that the old wallpaper had to be stripped away, but he’s had the last laugh,’ says Lucy. ‘We found an incredible 18th-century Chinese-style mural behind it that we’re keeping.’

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The main stairwell leads from the Entrance Hall to the Lobby and up to the bedrooms.
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A pair of Milanese neoclassical walnut marquetry commodes frame the double doors that lead from the Drawing Room into the Saloon.
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The Drawing Room was once the monastic refectory, later redesigned as a library by Sir John Soane, who created an enfilade of rooms extending the length of the house. The room was redecorated in 2001, using two shades of blue chosen and mixed by Robert Lenkiewicz. The flower-festooned chandelier was designed by Michael Howells, innovative designer of the Rambert Ballet.
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Boots and shoes lined up by the garden door and hats arranged on a table and stacked on top of a linen press inject a quirky dash of humour that is part of Port Eliot’s unique charm. The distinctive green wallpaper dates from the 1800s and contains arsenic.
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An elaborate Meissen fruit service is among the 18th and 19th-century porcelain treasures stored in the China Closet. Although very valuable, much of it is still used by the family.
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The Morning Room walls are lined with 19th-century silk damask. The sumptuous neo-baroque frame over the fireplace was made by Robert Lenkiewicz to display a series of 10 grisaille portraits by Van Dyck. The Dutch 17th-century cabinet to the right is adorned with inlays of tortoiseshell, ebony, ivory and kingwood. Above it hangs a self portrait by the artist John Opie.
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The extraordinary Round Room, designed by Sir John Soane, in which 20th-century artist Robert Lenkiewicz was commissioned to paint his dramatic mural. On top of the pine fireplace are around 20 logs carved in the form of books by the writer and whittler Heathcote Williams in the 1980s. The chandelier is 19th-century French, and the circular Aubusson rug came from a Russian palace.
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Port Eliot sits in a sheltered Cornish valley in a parkland setting designed by Humphry Repton. Parts of the house date back to medieval times when the house was a monastery in a flourishing port, but most of what is visible today dates from the 18th and 19th centuries.