As a shaft of sunlight falls across the tree-lined driveway of Skisdon, in the village of St Kew, North Cornwall, the long white house appears set against a glorious backdrop of orange, red and green.‘It must have been the handiwork  of that old builder – Time,’ wrote renowned Victorian novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon about Skisdon, which she bought in 1866. This description appears in the first few pages of her most famous novel, Lady Audley’s Secret, which sold almost  a million copies in her lifetime.Braddon’s friends included Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, author of The Woman In White. She reputedly entertained them both at the house, and her fans included Queen Victoria and Robert Louis Stevenson. Unique home: The two cottages was renovated in the 1960s and turned into a five-apartment holiday lettings Skisdon is not so much steeped in history as thoroughly saturated. Records of the house go back as far as 1350, when it was part of an ancient estate, and there have been additions by virtually every subsequent generation.

Originally two medieval cottages, in Tudor times it was made into a four-up, four-down house. In 1773, further rooms were added, and the front of the  house was given a makeover. garage door springs liftmasterA conversion to five self-catering apartments and a rather grand  two-bedroom owner’s residence took place in the 1960s, and in this form it is now on the market for £1.35 million.garage door repair 18064 Retired chief executive Tim Honeywill, 61, has lived here since 1997. sliding wardrobe doors online quoteHe is currently running the apartments as holiday lettings. cost to repair 3gs screen

Being located close to the excellent beaches of Polzeath and Daymer Bay, as well as trendy Rock, means many guests visit year after year. pocket door lock with keypadIt’s easy to imagine the house full of laughing families, with children paddling in the streams surrounding the two-acre garden.‘bamboo door curtains amazonI bought Skisdon intending to convert it back to a grand family home,’ says Mr Honeywill. keypad door lock history‘There are eight fully working bathrooms – I ensured that the electrics and plumbing were upgraded – and the house easily sleeps 28 in its 14 bedrooms.’ Delightful pad: The 14-bedroom medieval house is now on the marked for £1.35million The apartments all open up and flow into each other so that the  house becomes a whole – albeit one in which you might easily get lost.

‘Every Easter and summer, classical musicians performing at the nearby St Endellion Festival come  to stay,’ says Mr Honeywill, who  is now downsizing. ‘They wander through the rooms singing excerpts from Carmen and playing their instruments.’The owner’s residence is entered via the front door, straight into a two-storey red-painted hall.To the right is the drawing room – a beautiful, light room looking across the front drive and gardens. It has  a marble fireplace and original Victorian shutters. To the left of the  hall is a low-ceilinged dining room  – part of the original medieval building. Skisdon was once home to renowned Victorian author Mary Elizabeth Braddon Overlooking the main flight of stairs from the hall is a 5ft-high, double-glazed Venetian window,  one of the very first examples of double glazing and dating from Victorian times.A stained-glass detail in the centre of the window carries the date 1654 – a tribute to Braddon’s ancestor William, who was elected to Cromwell’s parliament.

Each of the five flats is unique, with a kitchen, bathroom and up to three bedrooms. The kitchens have all been refurbished in waxed pine and have multi-coloured tiles, inspired by Fired Earth designs.  One flat, called Japonica, has a Victorian roll-top bath, and the original medieval doorway has been fitted with French windows that open on to the garden.Just a few feet behind the house is a cliff face, within which are caves, originally built as cold stores and now used by Mr Honeywill for barbecues in the winter. The gardens are no less rich in history. Two majestic London  plane trees were planted in 1720  and Napoleonic prisoners of war worked on the landscaping in the early 1800s. The vast roots of a dark and curving yew tree, planted in 1520, sit by a stream. Here, two wooden chairs are placed on a bridge so that visitors can sit and watch the sun go down over the ancient gardens.‘The pretty St Kew parish is probably home to the finest stock of period country houses in Cornwall,’ says Jonathan Cunliffe, head of Savills’ Truro office.‘

Unfortunately, the owners tend to hang on to them for many years, so they come up for sale only once in  a blue moon. ‘Skisdon is one such house and a very special opportunity indeed.’Welcome to Godolphin House Care Home Godolphin House care home is well known as one of the very best and friendliest retirement homes in Cornwall. We have a genuine passion for delivering a high quality lifestyle for our residents in a true homely environment, with the benefit of care assistance as needed from our professionally trained and friendly staff. We are proud to be one of the most respected care homes in the area with 33 years of experience. Our philosophy is to provide care based around each persons' needs. Whatever the need, care is delivered with patience, kindness, discretion and understanding. Our Core Values of Care: Privacy – Dignity – Rights – Independence – Choice – Fulfilment – Security – Respect – Equality – FUN. Godolphin House is one of the prominent buildings in the historic Victorian preservation area of Helston.

The famous Flora Dance comes to our front door and has even been danced right through the house and out the back door! Godolphin House was a hotel for over 50 years, claiming to be "A Summer and Winter Resort, close to the station" and had one of the first telephones in Helston, No. 43. Established as a Care Home in 1984, we pride ourselves on providing a secure, relaxed and homely environment in an attractive, character period property upgraded with modern facilities to make life for our residents as comfortable, fulfilling and fun. Most importantly, at Godolphin House Care Home, we never forget that life should be FUN!!! Our website has been carefully constructed to be easily accessible to the disabled. The site is compatible with Talk Aloud browsers and photographs have a verbal description. You can quickly and easily increase text size by clicking on the AAAA letters in the top right hand corner. Please call us on 01326 572 609 or email admin@godolphincarehome.co.uk to discuss your needs.