We are including this story in today’s EYE for two reasons. Firstly, it demonstrates the effect that a bit of celebrity, a stunningly lovely location overlooking the sea, and ‘Port Isaac’ in the address has on the value of a pretty, if modestly-sized, property. Secondly, we rather enjoy the TV series.
Fern Cottage, a Grade II listed stone double fronted property, spectacularly located on the hillside above Port Isaac’s historic harbour in North Cornwall, is for sale through John Bray Estates.
It is used as the fictional home and workplace of Dr Martin Ellingham, the grumpy doctor played by Martin Clunes in the TV series Doc Martin, and it comes to the market just before the final season is released.
The popular series, which has been running for nearly twenty years, is filmed on location in and around the village of Port Isaac – a hugely popular and pretty Cornish village, where nowadays it is probably quite hard to find a true ‘local’ who lives there all year round. As in all west country seaside locations, many, if not most, of the village properties have been sold as holiday homes.
The village is renamed Portwenn in the series and Clunes plays Portwenn’s local GP, Martin Ellingham, who was once a successful London surgeon until he developed a phobia of blood that prevented him from conducting operations.
The iconic doctor’s surgery is familiar to millions of the series’ fans around the world.
Fern Cottage is a classic fisherman’s stone cottage with two bedrooms and glorious sea views from all the principal rooms.
A slate terrace and a tiered garden to the rear both look down to the village with its picturesque harbour (where the wonderful folk group, The Fisherman’s Friends regularly perform), and out to sea.
Port Isaac is best known for its narrow, winding streets, lined with white-washed cottages and traditional granite, slate-fronted Cornish houses, many of which are listed as having architectural or historic importance.
Right up until the middle of the 19th Century, Port Isaac was a busy port handling various imports and exports, including coal, timber, pottery and Delabole slate.
After the advent of the railways, it became principally a fishing port, and unsurprisingly, the village is now known for its seafood, with renowned chef Nathan Outlaw owning two restaurants there.
John Bray Estates is quoting a guide price of £1.25m
I know every agent is different and the need to respect an agent’s local knowledge is important but isn’t that one of those properties no-one can value?
£1.25 m for that seem like a bargain. I’d have put that to tender because of the position, it’s celebrity and the dinner party one-upmanship of owning that particular home.
In North Devon we have got an exceptional agent who sells places like that, she has a black book of buyers and somehow manages to get mental money for the special and unique homes she sells.
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