Bodmin Road, St. Austell, PL25 5AG

There are properties that simply stop you in your tracks, and this is one of them. Once the toll house for travellers entering St Austell, this enchanting listed cottage carries centuries of history within its walls — and yet feels like the most welcoming of homes the moment you step inside.

The heart of the property is a truly captivating sitting room, where Gothic-style arched windows and a five-sided layout set the scene for something quite unlike anything else on the market. A slate open fireplace with wood burner inset, rich exposed beamed ceilings and warm wall lighting make this a room you'll never want to leave on a winter's evening. The dining room sits alongside, beamed and full of character, flowing through to a beautifully appointed newly fitted kitchen with deep navy shaker units, marble-effect worktops, white metro tile splashback and a charming stable door to the rear. It manages to feel both thoroughly modern and entirely in keeping with its surroundings. Upstairs, two well-proportioned double bedrooms continue the Gothic charm, with the principal bedroom enjoying those same striking arched windows as the room below, quite something to wake up to. The recently updated shower room is sleek and contemporary, with slate-effect tiling, a generous glass enclosure and a fitted blue vanity unit.

Outside is where this property truly surprises. The garden rises in levels from a convenient parking area, up through a paved patio perfect for an evening glass of something, and on to a generous plot filled with established planting that is drenched with colour in the summer months. Framing it all, in the most dramatic fashion, is the Trenance Viaduct — Brunel's magnificent stone structure, completed in 1899, arching above the garden in a way that has to be seen to be believed. Tucked within the garden is an insulated timber cabin with power and light, currently used as a home office and studio. It is a genuinely versatile space that buyers will find a huge asset to have.

St Austell town centre is moments away on foot, which has a cinema, leisure centre, mainline rail station and variety of shops including major supermarkets. Just a short drive or cycle away is the harbour village of Charlestown, the Eden Project and some of Cornwall's finest coastline all easily within reach. This is a rare piece of Cornwall's story — a truly extraordinary place to call home.