Pill Creek

Pill Creek is an award-winning five-bedroom home by KAST Architects, designed in response to the Sylvan character of its idyllic riverside site at the edge of the village of Feock, Cornwall. The striking architectural profile cantilevers dramatically from the hillside with glass walls sensitively positioned to optimise the exceptional views across the Fal Ria. Constructed from a material palette of Siberian silver larch, Trebarwith natural Cornish stone and steel, the internal accommodation extends to over 2,050 sq ft across two storeys; expansive private landscaped gardens and terraces surround the house on all sides.

The Architect

KAST Architects is an award-winning practice based in Cornwall. Founded in 2014, the architecture studio delivers a broad range of projects throughout the UK, whose design solutions are elegant, simple, cost-effective and innovative, underpinned by thorough research and an eye for detail.

Pill Creek has been commended with several awards, including Best Architect for a Self Build, BuildIt Awards 2019 (Winner), British Homes Awards 2020 (Shortlist), and Cornish Buildings Group 2019, Annual Awards (Commendation).

The Tour

Approached via a quiet country lane leading into an enclosed driveway, the front of the house is discreet and private, with a 12m timber bridge through the tree canopy connecting the front door with a generous parking area.

Designed to feel embedded in the landscape, the house is conceived in plan as two strips, characterised by robust natural materials, selected to complement and reflect the wooded setting. The lower storey is clad in Trebarwith stone to provide a solid base from which the timber-clad first floor projects.

The entrance, seamlessly concealed in the timber frontage, leads through to a beautifully bright hallway and the primary living space, organised in an open plan across the upper storey to maximise the breath-taking views. The living area forms the centre of the house, with glass bi-fold doors interconnecting the upper exterior terrace. White-washed timber flooring and the underfloor heating (served by the air source heat pump) runs throughout. The natural light, as to be expected, is exceptional.

A beautifully designed modern kitchen is positioned neatly at one end of this part of the house, creating a more intimate area for cooking. At the opposite side of the upper floor, sliding pocket doors neatly divide the living space with a wonderfully bright room spanning the southerly wing. This room offers great versatility of use and is currently used as a snug and home workspace. Views from this room overlook the creek and gardens.

The lower storey houses the sleeping areas and practical service rooms. The five bedrooms are beautifully proportioned, and each has an excellent provision of storage space. The two larger bedrooms are positioned at opposite ends of the ground floor; the main bedroom is appointed with an en suite bathroom, and there is also a well-designed family bathroom. Utility and storage space has been neatly housed in bespoke joinery, which runs the length of the lower corridor.

Outside Space

Externally, the cantilever provides a canopy for the lower terrace, a wonderfully private area for entertaining in the summer months. The expansive garden is laid to lawn and bordered by mature hedging and trees, herbaceous borders of perennial plants and grasses. Direct access to the river is a two-minute walk from the foot of the slope and there is also a heated outdoor shower, perfect for post-beach swims or paddle boarding in the creek. A self-contained garden studio offers great flexibility as a home workspace/gym or additional accommodation and additionally, there is a useful exterior storeroom.

The Area 

The surrounding area of Pill Creek has become home to a series of iconic modernist houses, including Creek Vean designed by Team 4. Much of the surrounding countryside is owned and managed by the National Trust and is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with numerous country and creekside coastal walks easily accessible from the house. There are good local golf courses within easy reach, including The Killiow Estate and Golf Club and Truro Golf Club and many sailing clubs throughout the Carrick Roads.

Cornwall’s south coast, facing the English Channel, is the fairer counterpart to its rugged, Atlantic-bashed northern side. This is the Cornwall of sheltered fishing villages, fields that gently slope into tidal creeks and verdant gardens filled with exotic plants that take to the warm summers.

The cathedral city of Truro is approximately 15 minutes by car and offers good private schooling and mainline rail links to London Paddington. It has a small high street with a good selection of independent shops and cafes, a cinema, galleries, museums and a theatre.

Further down the coast is the harbour town of Falmouth, which, along with its excellent university, has a great selection of restaurants as well as yacht clubs and marinas, sandy beaches and the landmark National Maritime Museum.

Newlyn is around 50 minutes by car, a popular town that has been renowned for its art scene since the 1880s, when painters like Stanhope Forbes and Henry Scott Tuke congregated there and at St Ives, creating work that captured everyday Cornish scenes in the impressionist style. Their legacy is continued today by Newlyn Art Gallery, established in 1895 to display work by members of the Newlyn School, but now focusing on contemporary artists.

The geodesic biome domes at the Eden Project, designed by Nicholas Grimshaw in the late nineties, is around 40 minutes drive to the north, and the popular towns of Padstow and Newquay are easily reached by car in less than one hour.

Communications to Cornwall have vastly improved over recent years, with the A30 dual carriageway just north of Truro giving fast access to the M5 motorway at Exeter. Cornwall Airport (Newquay) also provides regular shuttle flights to London Gatwick, Stansted and many other seasonal European destinations.

Council Tax Band: G