Property for sale

A striking Grade II-listed converted church is now home to a voluminous, light-filled gallery space above a three-bedroom apartment. Unfolding over 3,300 sq ft, The Gallery has been an exhibiting and events space, North Coast Asylum Gallery, for the last four years. Many of the building’s exceptional original features were restored by the current owners during its three-year-long renovation, including ornate stained-glass windows, original floorboards, and the beautiful Cornish granite used to construct the church. The apartment has its own private courtyard space, but for sandier endeavours, Newquay’s Towan beach is just minutes away.

Setting the Scene

The current owners stumbled across the building – which had been a Methodist church until the 1990s – while searching the county for a gallery space. With a foundation stone dated 1895, the building is constructed from squared stone rubble with granite dressings, and decorated with rock-faced granite quoins. It is crowned by a newly restored slate roof, with handsome gable ends. The owners lovingly restored the building, breathing life back into the space and celebrating its original features.

The commercial space, which occupies over 1,700 sq ft across the ground floor and mezzanine, is designated A1. A flexible space, it’s from here that the owners have been successfully running North Coast Asylum Gallery. There’s currently a smaller shop and office at the front of the plan, partitioned from the exhibition space. The residential space occupies the lower ground floor, measuring circa 1,500 sq ft.

The Grand Tour

There are two entrances into the building: a front door from Beachfield Avenue, which leads through a lobby and into the gallery, and a rear entrance, that opens to the courtyard and another lobby before reaching the apartment.

The gallery has incredibly high ceilings and an amazing quality of natural light. The current owners have installed temporary walls to increase hanging space, but the room could be reconfigured for a variety of different uses. The gallery’s desk currently sits at the far end. Behind some original panelling is a smaller area used as a shop space, but could also be rendered as a café or useful study/studio. There is also a WC on this floor.

The mezzanine above the gallery overlooks the ground floor, giving a feel for the space’s amazing volume. It also provides storage and further desk space. A large attic above could, subject to requisite permissions, be converted into another enormous office or gallery space.

An internal door leads down a set of stairs and through the apartment’s front door. Here, a hallway leads past bedrooms to an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space beyond. The kitchen, which is arranged around a useful island, comprises white-painted cabinetry with wooden countertops. Handmade Zellige tiles in ‘pearl’ line the wall behind the stove. A lovely sash window above the sink bathes the room in light, while a glazed door leads into the courtyard garden beyond; a wonderful extra room in the summer months. At the other end of the plan is a useful utility room.

The rest of the living space is defined by its smart engineered oak floor, white-painted walls providing more space for hanging art, and a wall lined with bespoke cabinetry and bookshelves. There is also a brilliantly useful pantry positioned off the kitchen.

The bedrooms lie behind, all with sash windows fitted with new shutters. A shared family bathroom makes use of the same characterful Zellige tiles and has a freestanding sink fitted with a stone basin. The principal bedroom has an en suite shower room, decorated with the same palette of materials.

The Great Outdoors

The courtyard is a pretty space, lined with flagstones, with ample space for a table and chairs. There is a rear gate, in front of which is a covered space for storing surfboards and paddleboards, and an outdoor shower, perfect for washing off sandy feet and rinsing salty wetsuits before going inside.

Out and About

Newquay is a town located on the north coast of Cornwall. It is best known for its twelve beautiful sandy beaches, including Fistral and Watergate Bay. Here, waves from the Atlantic Ocean create strong surf, attracting surfers from around the world.

There are many local attractions, including Newquay’s historic working harbour, where you can eat at a pub or restaurant while watching the fishing boats coming in. The Huer’s Hut – another landmark – is perched high on the cliff above the harbour; the building, with its strikingly large chimney, is thought to date from the 14th century. Built as a lookout where a huer – a person who would scour the sea for signs of large pilchard shoals – would keep watch.

Newquay is home to an ever-growing variety of independent restaurants and cafes, such as Pavilion Bakery, Verbena and Basket. It also provides brilliant access to the extensive cycling, running and hiking trails through the surrounding countryside and along the South West Coast Path.

Newquay is well placed for access to the rest of Cornwall and its staggering coastline, including those at St Agnes and Trevose Head. The popular town of St Ives is 45 minutes from the house, home to its array of picturesque beaches and rambling walks. Like Newlyn, St Ives has long been associated with artists attracted by the evocative Atlantic light, namely including its 20th-century school of sculptors, painters and ceramicists. As a result, St Ives has many galleries, from Tate St Ives, the Penwith Gallery, the wonderfully preserved Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, and Leach Pottery, as well as many smaller, independent galleries including New Craftsman Gallery and Anima Mundi.

Further afield is the Pig Hotel at Harlyn Bay, and for a pit-stop on route from London, Coombeshead Farm, has an excellent menu defined by its nose-to-tail approach to eating. The geodesic biome domes at the Eden Project, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw in the late nineties, are around 35 35-minute drive to the south-east.

Connections to Cornwall have vastly improved over recent years, with the A30 dual carriageway just north of Truro giving fast access to the M5 motorway at Exeter. Direct trains from Truro to London Paddington run in just over four hours. Cornwall Airport (Newquay) also provides regular shuttle flights to London Gatwick, Stansted and many other seasonal European destinations.

Council Tax Band: B