Kate Winslet’s Former Cornish Retreat Is Up On The Market

Fancy swapping homes with Kate Winslet? Make your The Holiday dreams come true, by buying up the former home of the Titanic star. 

Inside Kate Winslet’s Rare Japanese Pole House In Cornwall

With Kate Moss’ former party pad recently on the market and Kate Middleton announcing her family’s move to a new home, it seems a popular time to up sticks if you’re called Kate. While a far cry from the Surrey cottage her character Iris lived in (and swapped for a glitzy LA pad) in The Holiday, this Cornish retreat might be your best chance to feel like a Kate Winslet worthy heroine.

A rare example of a Japanese pole house, the star’s former home was designed by renowned architect Barrie Briscoe. If you are unfamiliar, Japanese pole houses (traditionally known as Kura or stilted dwellings) are characterised by their elevated structures supported on wooden poles, which give them the appearance of a treehouse. The design involves digging a round or rectangular pit in the ground, erecting poles inside it, and fitting a framework for a roof that could be thatched with reeds, grass or similar. 

Briscoe designed and built five pole houses during his career, three of which are located in Cornwall. Known as The Pole House, Winslet’s property in particular was constructed with birch, pine, cedar and American redwood atop of Douglas fir stilts. Blending oriental influences with a distinct western style, the main living space connects to the gardens via a timber bridge at the front, while a staircase at the rear leads to a wide deck which fully encircles the home.

Claim To Fame

Kate Winslet purchased The Pole House in 1998, not long after making her big screen debut in James Cameron’s Titanic. Reportedly falling in love with its unusual design, the home remained her Cornish bolthole until 2001. 

The current owners used to live in a traditional timber-framed house in Japan and dreamt of living in a Japanese-inspired home of their own once they moved back to the UK. Longing to return to the St Ives area where owner Rob had spent his childhood holidays, they stumbled across their perfect home.

Rob Pavis, who owns the property with his wife, Heather, says The Pole House ‘is a special property in that it is as practical as it is beautiful’.

‘The use of natural materials help to regulate temperature, making it really efficient to run, while its simple, symmetrical design that is so thoughtfully connected to its surroundings provides a tangible sense of harmony and balance, known as fusui in Japanese culture,’ Rob says.

During their ownership, Rob and Heather extended the garden, built a terrace with a seating area at the top, and undertook some light interiors work – but otherwise the property is almost identical to its time during Kate Winslet’s stay. While the couple are moving in order to be closer to family, they shared they will deeply miss the house and village. 

Step Inside

Arranged across several levels, The Pole House’s open-plan living room features a striking double-height ceiling framed by the sturdy wooden poles which create a dramatic focal point. This spacious area includes a sitting room and a kitchen with a wood-burning stove as a central feature, alongside two bedrooms located to the rear of the property.

Upstairs, the landing overlooks the living space below. The master bedroom occupies the entire first floor, offering a spacious sleeping area and an en suite bathroom.

The lower level, accessible via an external entrance, functions as a self-contained apartment for guests. This space includes an open living area that also serves as a bedroom, and a bathroom featuring a Japanese bath.

Where Else Has Kate Winslet lived?

Originally born and raised in Reading, Berkshire, Winslet bought her second Cornish property after she put The Pole House on the market in 2001. Her historic cliffside home, built in 1899, is known as Castle Minor. Despite the money sunk into renovations, it is believed that the star never ended up living in the castle – with much of the work destroyed in a fire a year after she sold it. It has however since been renovated to add a moat and drawbridge. 

Following her Cornish escapade, the actress purchased a five-bedroom townhouse in Belsize Park, north London, later selling it to Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin who bought the two neighbouring properties to create a 33 bedroom mansion.

From London, like many stars Winslet moved to the Cotswolds where she bought a secluded English country mansion named Westcote Manor. Shortly after this purchase, the star bought a penthouse in New York City’s Chelsea neighbourhood which has also since been sold.

Today, Winslet’s primary residence is a $4.6 million 17th century property in the seaside village of West Wittering, West Sussex. 

Where Is It?

Located near the north-west Cornwall coast close to the beaches of St Ives Bay, the village of Angarrack is renowned for its community spirit, traditional atmosphere and Chritsmas lights. Close by, the sandy beaches of Godrevy and Gwithian provide expansive shorelines and excellent surf conditions.

Nearby Lelant overlooks the Hayle estuary and boasts a stunning links golf course with panoramic views stretching toward Godrevy Lighthouse. A scenic branch railway connects Carbis Bay and St Ives to the main London-Penzance line at St. Erth.

Other local attractions include the towns of Penzance and Newlyn, the open-air Minnack Theatre, as well as Land’s End and the Isles of Scilly.

How To Buy

The Pole House is available for sale by Savills Cornwall for a guide price of £600,000. Find out more at savills.com