With weeds growing up through the shattered glass atrium, lewd graffiti scrawled across the winding staircase and floors and ceilings reduced to rubble, the inside of the once-grand Polvellan Manor is now a sad sight.
The gothic mansion in the upmarket Cornish holiday hotspot of Looe dates back to 1787 but has been abandoned since 1995 and is now at the centre of a bitter struggle between its owner and the local council.
MailOnline was this week invited to tour the building and discovered a scene of total destruction – almost every pane of glass was shattered while rubble from decades of squatters and vandals was strewn across the remains of a green carpet which hangs sadly over bare flooring joists since floorboards have been stolen or simply rotted away.
Developer Jason Tucker says he has been stuck in a deadlock with Cornwall Council since buying the gothic mansion in 2022 for £725,000.
Mr Tucker has repeatedly proposed plans to redevelop the site with five four-bed detached homes, but insists the building is unsafe and demolition of the old house is the only viable way forward.
The 46-year-old told MailOnline: ‘It’s a joke really. I’ve spent thousands of pounds on a structural survey which said it’s got to come down. I had a viability report done which says it’s not viable to keep it and yet all they are saying is we’ve got to keep it.
‘The Council is telling us they want something done with it, we’re proposing doing something with it which would create new homes but there is just no negotiation, there’s nothing there.
‘They’re all scared to put their necks out, they only want to keep the building which is a massive problem.
With weeds growing up through the shattered glass atrium, lewd graffiti scrawled across the winding staircase and floors and ceilings reduced to rubble, the inside of the once-grand Polvellan Manor is now a sad sight
The gothic mansion in the upmarket Cornish holiday hotspot of Looe dates back to 1787 but has been abandoned since 1995 and is now at the centre of a bitter struggle between its owner and the local council
MailOnline was this week invited to tour the building and discovered a scene of total destruction
‘I went down myself last summer and did some work to tidy it all up. The amount of locals that came to us and said they supported what we proposed was incredible.
‘But then you have jobsworths in offices who’ve never seen it and have no idea what state it’s in.
‘I’m worried we’re never going to get anywhere and we’re heading for having to leave it another 10 years.’
Ironically, the year Mr Tucker bought the house Cornwall Council declared a county-wide housing crisis due to high prices and lack of availability with 20,000 on council housing waiting lists – a number that has since risen to over 25,000.
Two years later a consulting engineer inspected the building and concluded: ‘Renovation and improvement of Polvellan Manor would be possible, but this would be at a cost that will not be viable commercially due to the evident scale and extent of works, and the constraints involved in making the existing building suitable for use.’
But Cornwall Council responded: ‘It is fully recognised that the subject building is in a poor state of repair and its retention and conversion would present a challenging development with regards to viability.
‘It is however noted that it would appear that the building has suffered from neglect and lack of maintenance, contributing to its current state, and should not be a determining factor in its demolition.’
Originally a family residence for whig MP John Lemon, it was later bought by Charles Buller MP, a notable reformer and journalist whose bust is on display in Westminster Abbey.
Developer Jason Tucker has repeatedly proposed plans to redevelop the site with five four-bed detached homes, but insists the building is unsafe and demolition of the old house is the only viable way forward
He said: ‘The Council is telling us they want something done with it, we’re proposing doing something with it which would create new homes but there is just no negotiation, there’s nothing there’
The 46-year-old told MailOnline: ‘It’s a joke really. I’ve spent thousands of pounds on a structural survey which said it’s got to come down. I had a viability report done which says it’s not viable to keep it and yet all they are saying is we’ve got to keep it’
Originally a family residence for whig MP John Lemon, it was later bought by Charles Buller MP, a notable reformer and journalist whose bust is on display in Westminster Abbey
Since the early 1900s it has had several uses including a maternity hospital in the Second World War, a hotel and a school
The most recent use was as a care home which ended in 1995. Since then the building has been unoccupied and lies in an abandoned, derelict state
Locals in Looe – a town more affected than most by the severe housing crisis – told MailOnline they want the building to be demolished and made into homes for families and the elderly
Since the early 1900s it has had several uses including a maternity hospital in the Second World War, a hotel and a school. The most recent use was as a care home which ended in 1995. Since then the building has been unoccupied and lies in an abandoned, derelict state.
Locals in Looe – a town more affected than most by the severe housing crisis – told MailOnline they want the building to be demolished and made into homes for families and the elderly.
Even a man illegally squatting in the manor – once an old people’s home and Second World War hospital – has had enough.
Mark Emmson, 65, has been living ‘off grid’ in a caravan in the mansion’s grounds for the last three-and-a-half years but says he would support the redevelopment even though it would force him off the land.
He said: ‘I’m fortunate to live here but I’m flexible with what happens to it. I know this isn’t going to be forever but I am trying to get housed at the moment in anticipation of what is to come.
‘Cornwall is desperate for housing and if we all put our sensible heads on we could get this back together and tear this down or get it back into use.
‘Me living here is a bit of a grey area with the owners but I’m good for them and they’re good for me, there’s no money involved and as much as possible I’m looking after it.
‘I’ve got a year’s worth of crime reference numbers where I’ve phoned the police about kids coming onto the property.’
There have been several previous attempts to redevelop the site, including in 2021 where the owners applied to convert the building into six apartments alongside 19 new build apartments within the extended grounds. That application was withdrawn.
Locals in Looe – a town more affected than most by the severe housing crisis – told MailOnline they want the building to be demolished and made into homes for families and the elderly
There have been several previous attempts to redevelop the site, including in 2021 where the owners applied to convert the building into six apartments alongside 19 new build apartments within the extended grounds
That application, though, was later withdrawn
Rob Johnston, 59, pictured, who has lived in Looe for 20 years said: ‘It’s always been empty ever since I’ve been here’
A proposal to restore the house and develop 17 new homes to make it financially viable was not supported by the council in pre-application advice.
Rob Johnston, 59, who has lived in Looe for 20 years said: ‘It’s always been empty ever since I’ve been here.
‘It’s just sitting there doing nothing, you get squatters in there. It’s a lovely piece of land, people could have a really nice life there, especially with the current housing climate.
‘I’ve been inside, it’s as rotten as a pear. About 12 years ago they re-did all the roof but because it was empty somebody came and stole all the lead.
‘About a year ago there were squatters in there supplying drugs.
‘It needs something doing with it, I would like to see them build bungalows for older local people there.
‘I’m surprised the council hasn’t tried to do that. The risk is it will go like everything else and become second homes.
‘It’s just impossible to find anywhere affordable to rent in Looe, there’s nowhere.’
Neighbour Zoe Bass, 32, said: ‘Unless they can restore it to its former glory which is unlikely considering the state it is in then why not demolish it?’
Rachel Bee, 31, a cleaner at a local holiday park, said: ‘The housing situation in Looe is a nightmare, it took me eight months of constant searching to find my place’
Polvellan Manor in Looe, Cornwall, an 18th century manor house left to rot in a town famous for BBC drama Death in Paradise
The mansion l has been abandoned for more than 20 years and has become a haunt for vandals, squatters and drug dealers
Rachel Bee, 31, a cleaner at a local holiday park, said: ‘The housing situation in Looe is a nightmare, it took me eight months of constant searching to find my place.
‘If it was going to be turned into homes for local people then I would support demolishing it. The council say they are aware of how bad the problem is for us so if they don’t do something that’s going to allow more houses to be built there then they are making it worse for themselves.’
Neighbour Zoe Bass, 32, said: ‘Unless they can restore it to its former glory which is unlikely considering the state it is in then why not demolish it?
‘It would be nice if they could keep it and do something with it. I’ve heard there have been people living in there causing a disturbance but it hasn’t affected me.
‘I think it should be affordable houses for young people, we need more homes for the local community.’
The former fishing town of Looe on the south Cornwall coast is famous for its stunning scenery and quaint harbour.
It has been a popular tourist destination for decades and is the main filming location for BBC television crime drama Beyond Paradise, a spin-off of Death in Paradise.
Cornwall Council has been contacted for comment.
