Truro House was posted up on Rightmove on Friday, for a cool £2.9 million.
But let’s hope the pictures are from one of the other units to be built…
The building, which is Grade 2 listed, is described as ‘refined glamour, with a French twist’:
Step through the iron gates of this secluded, private gated development and discover an enticing mix of old and new, where a wealth of original features meets the latest in security technology, and where over two acres of mature gardens and lawns meet a coveted parking space. Thoughtfully restored, today’s Truro Place is a thoroughly modern address that exists in perfect harmony with its heritage and surrounds, and the grand buildings that have stood here for 150 years. After decades in the wilderness, this unique property is once again a joy to discover.
But the pictures appear to show an ultra modern, squeaky clean, marble floored, modern generically furnished space pad with no pictures of original features at all apart from outside. You can see them here.
But you will be relieved to find that we Palmers Greeners have at least finally discovered our inner hipster:
The joy of space meets the thrill of the city. Leafy Palmers green enjoys the very best of laid-back North London living
Enfield Council gave permission for works to go ahead last year, with a number of conditions to retain the building’s historic character. Last month, the stable block, which was originally to be retained, was demolished with agreement from Enfield Council, due to its poor condition.
In 2002 a team from English Heritage investigated the history of the house and gardens. Inside was: a sitting hall; a panelled drawing room with hidden drawers and cupboards; stained glass with chivalric motifs and mottos; a rare early use of concrete mouldings; a ‘near-unaltered scheme of interior decoration of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’ including a Toile de Jouy wall in the north west bedroom; and outside, gardens which had changed little since the house was built.
The most exciting discovery was that “elements of timber framing and brick noggin, more commonly associated with eighteenth century form of construction’, had been exposed in the upper floor landing and in the cellar” which may have been part of the old Kings Arms structure from its last rebuilding in 1775. So parts of Truro House were nearly 250 years old.
The overall conclusion: Truro House is a building from the 1830s, built in an uncluttered ‘old French’ style, enlarged and remodelled in the 1890s, and modernised in the early part of the twentieth century, since when it has been largely untouched. The interior, say English Heritage, is “a rare and important survival, worthy of further study.”
I hope it still is.
By the way, if you want it, mortgage repayments will be between £12,000 and £17,000 a month.
6 replies on “Truro House is for sale – but is this what it looks like inside?”
Thanks so much for this. I have driven by a few times and seen the developers signs and felt the exterior shots looked too modern and lacking the charm of the original building. The interiors shown on Rightmove are utterly vulgar and not in-keeping at all with this historical building. Where are all the wonderful original features I wonder? Are they allowed to do this? How heart-breaking. English Heritage would be horrified!
Yes, there is definitely the possibility that they havent shown the interior because it isnt finished yet. If it will be more in keeping with what we hoped, the brochure doesnt really market it to people who like that kind of thing.
Exactly Suzanne,
You would think that if they are marketing the property on it’s history & uniqueness then these original features would be retained & would be a major selling point. The stained glass, for instance and the 18th century constructions should have been retained. The advertising pictures do state that they are computer generated images but must be portraying accurately what the final building will look like. The modern windows, as Garry H said, look very out of place too. Surely Grade 2 listed status should not allow these changes to be made?
Sylvia
The external view at least must be computer-generated – it looks nothing like this just now, as anyone can see! And perhaps the inside too, since modern windows are shown, which would also be visible externally, but aren’t.
However, if this represents the developer’s plans for Truro House we should be very concerned. Does English Heritage know? Having in its previous report noted the unique interior, I don’t imagine it would wish all this to be swept away. I shall be reporting this to them and so should others.
As for the stable block, no doubt it was helped on its way to becoming a dangerous structure by having holes made in the roof and by allowing a tree to grow up from the inside. And it occurs to me that the car washers may even have been encouraged to set up there, lay down concrete and demolish the wall, to establish conditions that would permit eventual demolition/development.
The developer/agents address is vague enough (Green Lanes, N13 5UJ), except that N13 5UJ is also the postcode of Truro House.
Has Enfield Council once again fallen prey to the blandishments of developers by giving away our unique heritage? But they are not solely to blame: if locals (and the nearby school) had not kicked up a fuss years ago when it was planned to use Truro House as a launching pad for a mere six people about to be returned to the community after treatment, with the prospective purchasers agreeing to restore the interior to its former glory, then the whole situation may have been settled long ago. But … ‘Not in my back yard’. As ye sow, so shall ye reap, Palmers Green.
Hello Suzanne,
Originally I was pleased to see that work had started on Truro House because it was very sad to see how it was becoming so dilapidated but the pictures posted by the estate agent do not show it to have been refurbished in a style sympathetic to the age of the property at all. As you say, there are no original features shown in any photo. Personally I think it looks more like an upmarket hotel. The other buildings on the site (way too many in my opinion!) are in a totally different style and don’t harmonise with the main house in any way. I would think that anyone spending nearly 3 million on a property wouldn’t want modern flats built in their back garden.
It was always a local landmark and had an air of mystery about it somehow. What a pity for it to be spoilt like this.
Sylvia Gambin
The rumours; say that who ever got it, some years ago, didn’t care about the gem this beautiful house was. And started making money on what ever was valuable in Truro House. The persons did no have one dot of regard for the history and tradition that this House have. Practically a crime to destroy the unique history that Truro House represented. How sad that Enfield council never did anything.