You Can Now Stay In The Gorgeous ‘About Time’ House

Towering over the sheltered, sandy sweep of Porthpean Beach, Porthpean House —perhaps most famously recognized as the backdrop for the 2013 blockbuster About Time (and yes, you really can step inside the famous time‑traveling closet)—stands as one of the crowning jewels of Cornwall’s south coast. Built in 1793, the same year Marie Antoinette met the guillotine, it became a stronghold of the Petherick family for five generations—long established as bankers and lawyers in nearby St Austell.

The estate first entered the family in 1850, purchased by George Petherick, and today you’ll spot subtle nods to their legacy across its fifteen acres: from the welcoming bronze busts of his great‑great‑granddaughters Catherine and Harriet flanking its entrance, to grand family oil portraits lining the walls, and a pristine seaview study filled with family photographs and a crest tracing the family’s Philadelphia branch.

Flash forward to 2026: under the stewardship of descendant Martin Petherick, you can gather a group of 21 and book a lavish stay here, waltzing along the same corridors as Tom Holland, Margot Robbie, and visiting royals and aristocrats alike.

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Set over three floors, this ivory seaside mansion offers the haute of self‑catered coastal living: three elegant sitting rooms (with vast bay windows, period furniture, crackling fireplaces, a grand piano, and long Georgian drapes); a formal dining room wrapped in a floor‑to‑ceiling library with an 21‑seater banquet table (complete with an under‑table servant bell once used to summon a post‑supper digestif); and two farmhouse‑style kitchens with rustic dining tables and a historical servant call box where the lady of the house would buzz down for breakfast in bed (sadly no longer in use). Creaky corridors stitch it all together: lined with grandfather clocks, China collections, historic sketches, and French antique mirrors.

Meanwhile, a grand winding staircase beneath a light‑breathing cupola snakes up to its eight bathrooms (some dusty pink; others teal—with rainfall showers and boxed baths) and twelve glorious bedrooms—mostly sea‑view—featuring antique wardrobes, Victorian beds, and cheval mirrors, including the famed Margot Robbie bedroom from About Time .

Top pick? Stay in the beautiful, light‑filled Bridal Suite—with its curving bay windows, long indigo drapes, China‑filled bookcase, cross‑stitched king‑size bed, and a charming in‑room bathroom sink (a relic from the days of chamber pots and midnight calls).

Mornings begin with sunrise yoga and seafront coffees poured from your cafetiere in the ocean‑facing garden, or full English feasts (pro tip: order the large Luxury Holiday Arrival Box from the Cornish Food Box Company—delivered in time for your stay—packed with sourdough, a dozen large free‑range eggs, semi‑skimmed milk, salted butter, scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, Davidstow cheddar, sausages and unsmoked back bacon, fruit juices, and a bottle of Knightor Carpe Diem white wine).

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And as the day slips by, you can settle into rounds of table tennis, pull a novel from the sweeping floor‑to‑ceiling library, and lose an hour curled into a Louis XIV armchair in the regal Drawing Room (famously where Barry Humphries once sang ‘Reviewing The Situation’ from Oliver! with Harriet Petherick at the piano).

Step outside and you can wander the utopian gardens: nearly 400 plant varieties gathered from across the globe, from grand magnolia trees and climbing roses to hydrangeas, old Cornish apple trees, peaches, and azaleas that cocoon the old tennis court in a riot of color—there’s even a dedicated propagation area preserving the estate’s rare camellias.

Porthpean House also sits on the doorstep of the Eden Project, St Austell Brewery, and the Lost Gardens of Heligan—and wanders down to Porthpean Beach for summer dips take mere seconds, accessed directly from your garden—so slipping back home for afternoon tea quickly becomes an indulgent daily ritual. As evening settles in, you can linger over elegant apéritifs on the terrace before heading out to feast at one of the nearby local gems. Alternatively, keep things intimate by booking a private chef from its roster of brilliant local caterers, or try Yhangry —the slick, on‑demand “Uber” of gourmet private dining.

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It’s pretty simple: set your budget, choose your meal type (think 9-course tasting menus, BBQs, buffets—and even cooking classes), and a roster of award-winning chefs—some Michelin-starred—will send you tailored menu proposals via the app. Once you’ve picked your chef and favorite menu, you pay in full, receive printed menus in the post, and your chef handles the rest. On the day, they’ll arrive a few hours early at Porthpean House with all their ingredients; then prep, cook, and serve everything seamlessly—while you watch the magic unfold.

As the moon rises, snuggle up in the Morning Room—the oldest room in the house—for whiskey‑paired games of charades and Scrabble, or bunch up in the Smoking Room for a private viewing of About Time . I mean, really, it would be a sin not to.

And looking ahead: Porthpean House is soon embarking on its newest adventure—a fleet of stylish eco treehouse lodges dotted among a walled garden, connected by a small farm shop with fresh ingredients grown on site. If there’s an English manor with its finger firmly on the pulse, it’s Porthpean.

How To Do It

To book your stay at Porthpean House, head to thebigbeautifulbeachhouse.com .

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This article was originally published on Forbes.com