Tintagel Old Post Office

Tintagel Old Post Office stands in the heart of Tintagel, Cornwall, as a rare survivor from the 14th century. Built on the plan of a medieval manor house, its thick stone walls and slate roof tell of a time when such dwellings sheltered entire families under one roof. The National Trust now owns the house and its cottage garden, protecting both as a Grade I listed building. Its name comes from the Victorian era when it briefly served as a letter-receiving station for the district. The Trust restored it to this role and kept it open to visitors during the warmer months. The house came to the Trust in 1903, one of its earliest acquisitions. Before that, it had been saved from demolition by Catherine Eliza Johns, who bought it in 1895. She hired architect Detmar Blow to carry out renovations the following year, and later helped raise funds so the Trust could purchase the property from her. Blow also worked on buildings at nearby Treknow in the 1890s, leaving his mark on the area’s architecture. Inside, visitors find a single large room on the ground floor, lined with oak panelling and furnished with pieces from the 17th and 18th centuries. Upstairs, smaller chambers open onto narrow landings, their low ceilings and uneven floors showing how the house was lived in over centuries. The cottage garden outside, with its lavender, hollyhocks and climbing roses, offers a quiet spot to rest after exploring Tintagel’s dramatic cliffs.