Pride And Joy

We visit Prideaux Place, a grand Elizabethan manor on the Cornish coast, and discover the fascinating tale of one family’s survival through the centuries.

- Felix Rowe

Padstow, a pretty town on Cornwall’s north coast, is celebrated as a gourmet destination, thanks to the restaurants of famous chefs Rick Stein and Paul Ainsworth. But it is also home to another gem: Prideaux Place, a beautiful Elizabethan house perched above the town. Its ancient deer park, overlooking the Camel Estuary, dates back to Roman times. It is said that if the deer ever die out, so will the Prideaux family.

Over the centuries, the house has played host to royalty, prime ministers, Oscar-winning actors and bestselling authors. Winston Graham wrote his final Poldark novel here in the library. The house is known fondly as ‘the Studio’ by German film crews, due to its regular appearances in the hugely popular TV adaptations of Rosamunde Pilcher’s books. The list of thespians who have visited Prideaux Place reads like a who’s who of British film and television – Joanna Lumley, Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter are just some of the former guests.

The estate was gifted to the Prideaux family during the Reformation, much to the irritation of Henry VIII. This was not the last time that the Prideaux would fall foul of the ruling monarch. Over the next five centuries, the family found themselves embroiled in various conflicts. In the Second World War, they welcomed English, American and Canadian soldiers in the build-up to D-Day.

But what is perhaps most remarkable about Prideaux Place is that it’s still very much a family home. With so many historic houses given over to the National Trust, it’s increasingly rare to find the original family still in residence. Yet Peter Prideaux-Brune represents the 14th generation in an unbroken line stretching back to the time of Elizabeth I.