Only house in village to survive Spanish Armada bombardment is for sale

By Tom Bevan via SWNS

A historic house which was the only one in a Cornish village to survive the bombardment from the Spanish Armada has been put up for sale.

The grade II* listed building was originally part of a 16th-century manor house, thought to have 14th-century origins, and was the sole survivor after the Spaniards were said to have destroyed all other buildings in Mousehole.

The Keigwin Arms, a pub came under attack but was eventually spared while its owner, Jenkyn Keigwin, died protecting it on July 23, 1595.

The rest of the coastal village is now a labyrinth of pretty granite 18th and 19th-century houses, with twisting cobbled walkways leading down to the harbor.

A historic house which was the only one in a Cornish village to survive the bombardment from the Spanish Armada has been put up for sale. (Lillicrap Chilcott via SWNS)

« ‹ of 4 › »

But after being converted into a five-bedroom home, the historic property is now on the market - with a guide price of £750k ($990k).

Situated just moments from the harbor, the property has also been featured in the 1970s BBC television series "Poldark."

Keigwin has since been extended and the estate agents say it has retained plenty of period charm, including exposed stonework and high, beamed ceilings.

There's a Jacobean porch supported on four, carved granite columns leading to a large, open-plan hallway.

More than 1,970 sq ft of living space includes a kitchen with a stable door leading out to the south-facing garden, store and utility room, and a dining room and lounge with a barrel ceiling. The main bedroom has a dressing room and an en suite shower room.

Guy Morse, the agent at Lillicrap Chilcott handling the sale, described Mousehole as "sitting in a little bowl of tranquillity".

He added: "Space is at a premium in Mousehole — everyone has got tiny postage stamp-sized gardens, if they've got anything at all.

"The fact that this property has a sizeable south-facing garden — including banana plants and an olive tree — is just as rare as the history."

The history of the home stems from back in the 1590s when naval officer Carlos de Amésquita had sailed from Brittany to England with a 130 ship armada, which was largely considered invincible.

Five years later, in 1595, four galleys landed on Cornwall ’s south coast and in a short but brutal raid, Amésquita’s men torched the villages of Mousehole, Paul and Newlyn and launched a bombardment on Penzance, reducing to rubble 400 houses and sinking three ships.

The galleys then left, fearing a counter attack, after destroying every building in Mousehole except for The Keigwin Arms.

A plaque to the former fallen owner Jenkyn Keigwin who died defending it still hangs outside.

For the full listing visit here.