cottage

Back in the 1960s, English author John le Carré found solace along the U.K.’s Cornish coast, where his longtime home is now up for grabs.

The late spy novelist, best known for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Constant Gardener, both of which were adapted into films nominated for multiple Oscars, wrote many of his bestseller thrillers at Tregiffian Cottage, where he lived until his death in 2020 at the age of 89. Spectacularly situated on a cliff between the villages of Lamorna and Porthcurno, the two-story stone residence comprises four bedrooms and four bathrooms. And, best of all for espionage aficionados, Carré’s writing room is still intact.

Late novelist John le Carré’s former home in Cornwall just listed for $3.7 million

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Listed for £3 million (or roughly $3.7 million), the residence is actually three original fisherman cottages put together. The author and his wife purchased the estate some 60 years ago and combined it with the surrounding outbuildings to form a spacious and unpretentious 5,000-square-foot family home.  

“My earliest memories are of playing in the garden at Tregiffian and adventuring along the coastal path to St Loy or Mousehole,” says le Carré’s son, Nick Cornwell, in a press statement. “The whole place is alive with butterflies, rabbits, swallows, foxes, and occasionally badgers. In winter, you bank up a log fire, and listen to the wind around the house, and feel as if you’re in a castle or a lighthouse. The storms are dramatic and beautiful, and when they’re gone, you get that wild horizontal sun. It’s a wonderful place to rest, or work, or just be yourself.” 

Known as Tregiffian Cottage, the waterfront property sits on three acres atop a cliff

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Inside the main dwelling, you’ll find comfortable living and entertaining spaces, an up-to-date eat-in kitchen, and a conservatory, which faces out towards Scilly Isles. Not surprisingly, there’s an impressive library that is decked out with floor-to-ceiling bookcases and showcases a window that’s believed to be part of a World War II fighter plane.

Among the very le Carré features is a safe room befitting any number of the author’s fictional characters. Elsewhere, the compound also has an indoor swimming pool that’s discreetly tucked away inside one of the chalet-style outbuildings.  

“In all, a hugely inspiring home,” adds Chris Clifford, who is marketing the property for Savills. 

Click here to see all the photos of Tregiffian Cottage. 

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