Welcome to this week’s episode of Cornwall Sunday.

Ever seen The Inspector Lynley Mysteries? Then, this may look familiar to you.

That tall, dark and dashing Scotland Yard sleuth is also the 8th Earl of Asherton, and this is his ancestral home. On TV, that is.

And that’s why we went in search of it. My oldest daughter, you see, is weirdly drawn to impressive stone mansions. My youngest is content just as long as she has some tumbling around space. And I, well, it’s not that I expected Nathaniel Parker to be around exactly, but you never know, do you…

Trerice Manor House

In the real world, this is Trerice, a Tudor mansion owned by the National Trust. If you’re ever in Newquay and want to get away from it all, Trerice is an excellent outing. I’d advice getting a ticket for the garden only, though. Inside, furniture from various eras seem to be haphazardly thrown together. The exterior and the gardens, however, are simply glorious and worth every penny.

This is Cornwall, so Trerice is naturally frequented by otherworldly beings. In this case, it’s the ghost of a servant girl who was seduced by the lord of the manor, then cruelly tossed aside when she became pregnant. The lass committed suicide but her spirit remains. She is invisible, but you know her by a sudden scent of lilacs and a chill in the air. Especially in the library.

There’s another ghost roaming about as well: a stable boy who was trampled to death by bolting horses. I imagine being a ghost can be a bit lonely, so I hope the two get together every once in a while.

 

Trerice Manor House, Cornwall - seen from the back

Trerice Manor