Nansloe Manor
A Grade II listed country house in Helston, Cornwall, England, formerly operated as a hotel and now a private residence.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Nansloe Manor is a historic country house near Helston in Cornwall, England. The property stands close to Loe Pool and is associated with the neighbouring Penrose Estate. Its name derives from Cornish: “nans” refers to a valley and “loe” to a lake or pool. Although the present manor developed in the early seventeenth century, the site has a documented domestic history reaching back to the sixteenth century, when a small one-room granite farm cottage occupied part of the location. The manor emerged when William Robinson married a daughter of Thomas Penrose of the adjacent Penrose Estate and constructed a larger house. Their son, Thomas Robinson, served as a colonel in the army of King Charles I and later became Mayor of Helston. He died at Nansloe in 1665 after being killed by a bull. In 1735, the Robinson family undertook substantial alterations, transforming the building into a more developed residence suitable for a gentleman farmer. These works included a three-storey extension on the south-west side, with large windows on the ground floor and accommodation for staff above. The property underwent further changes during the nineteenth century. Part of the original house was reportedly demolished around 1871 after being made unsafe by fire, with its stone reused in hedging at the nearby Home Farm. In 1872 Nansloe was sold to Adolphus William Young, the Member of Parliament for Helston. After Young lost his parliamentary seat in 1880, he sold the manor to Henry Rogers, a solicitor and grandson of inventor Henry Trengrouse. Rogers restored and reroofed the house and removed trees to improve views toward Loe Pool. In 1898 the property passed to Henry Montague Rogers, later Sir Montague Rogers, who enlarged it again, adding a more ambitious south-eastern extension with larger rooms and higher ceilings. The twentieth century brought both wartime use and a change in ownership. Major Tanner Rogers inherited the manor around 1940. During the Second World War, the house was requisitioned and used to accommodate sick Italian and German prisoners of war. In 1942 it was brought back into the Penrose Estate by Captain John Lionel Rogers. Following his death in 1961 without issue, succession passed through the Rogers family to Lieutenant Commander J. P. Rogers after his younger brother relinquished his claim. In 1974 Nansloe Manor was transferred to the National Trust as part of a much larger package incorporating woodland, farmland, Loe Pool, other buildings and several miles of foreshore. The manor house was not listed at that time, and the National Trust subsequently sold it, together with The Lodge and Nansloe Farm. Since 1975 it has remained in private ownership. For many years it operated as a hotel, giving the name a hospitality association, but the property has since reverted to use as a private dwelling. Nansloe Manor is now recognised as a Grade II listed building, reflecting its architectural and historical importance rather than the operation of a current consumer-facing hotel brand.
History
Nansloe Manor occupies a site whose earliest known domestic structure was a small granite farm cottage dating from the sixteenth century. The cottage stood approximately where two rooms of the later house are located. The manor itself developed in the early seventeenth century after William Robinson married into the Penrose family, owners of the neighbouring estate. Robinson built a manor house, establishing the property as a substantial family residence. The next generation connected Nansloe with local civic and military history. Thomas Robinson became a colonel in the forces of King Charles I and served as Mayor of Helston. He died at Nansloe in 1665 after being killed by a bull. The Robinson family retained the property and carried out a major rebuilding and improvement programme in 1735. Most sections of the house were altered, and a three-storey south-west extension was added. The extension included prominent ground-floor windows and upper accommodation associated with household staff. These works gave the property the form of a gentleman farmer’s residence rather than a modest agricultural dwelling. During the nineteenth century, Nansloe experienced several ownership changes and structural interventions. An 1857 newspaper cutting records an auction of the property, although the buyer is not identified. Around 1871, part of the original house was reportedly demolished after a fire rendered it unsafe. The recovered stone was reused to construct or strengthen hedges around the nearby Home Farm. In 1872 the manor was acquired by Adolphus William Young, who represented Helston in Parliament. Young made further additions and alterations before selling the property after he was not returned to Parliament in 1880. The next owner, Henry Rogers, was a solicitor and a grandson of Henry Trengrouse, an inventor associated with improvements to lifesaving equipment. Rogers restored and reroofed Nansloe Manor and removed trees from the grounds to open a view toward Loe Pool. In 1898 the house passed to Henry Montague Rogers. Later known as Sir Montague Rogers, he commissioned a further enlargement on the south-east side. This addition was built on a larger scale than earlier parts of the house and included rooms with greater dimensions and ceiling heights, features still reflected in the principal lounge and several bedrooms. Major Tanner Rogers inherited the manor around 1940. During the Second World War, the government requisitioned the house and used it to billet sick Italian and German prisoners of war. In 1942 the property was acquired again by the Penrose Estate through Captain John Lionel Rogers. Captain Rogers died on 5 November 1961 without children. His younger brother surrendered his succession rights in favour of his eldest son, Lieutenant Commander J. P. Rogers. A major institutional change occurred in 1974, when Nansloe Manor was given to the National Trust as part of a transfer involving more than 1,500 acres of woodland and farmland, Loe Pool, associated buildings and approximately four miles of foreshore. The manor house was not listed at that time. The National Trust therefore sold Nansloe Manor, along with The Lodge and Nansloe Farm, and the property entered private ownership from 1975 onward. For many years after the sale, Nansloe Manor operated as a hotel. This period made the house available to paying guests and established its identity within Cornwall’s country-house hospitality sector. It has since ceased hotel operations and reverted to use as a private dwelling. The building is now Grade II listed. Its significance rests on the survival of a layered historic house, the sequence of family ownership, its relationship with the Penrose Estate and Loe Pool, and its architectural development from an early farm dwelling into a substantial Cornish manor.
- 1975
Beginning of private ownership
[1]The National Trust sold the manor, The Lodge and Nansloe Farm; Nansloe Manor has remained privately owned since then.
- 1974
Transfer to the National Trust
[1]Nansloe Manor was donated to the National Trust as part of a much larger estate package.
- 1942
Return to the Penrose Estate
[1]Captain John Lionel Rogers bought the property back into the Penrose Estate during the Second World War period.
- 1940
Inheritance by Major Tanner Rogers
[1]Major Tanner Rogers inherited Nansloe Manor around this time.
- 1898
Further enlargement under Henry Montague Rogers
[1]Henry Montague Rogers inherited the property and added a large south-eastern extension with more spacious principal rooms.
- 1880
Sale after Young’s parliamentary defeat
[1]After Young was not re-elected, he sold Nansloe Manor to Henry Rogers.
- 1872
Acquisition by Adolphus William Young
[1]Young, the Member of Parliament for Helston, acquired the manor and undertook additional changes.
- 1857
Property auction recorded
[1]A newspaper cutting records an auction of the property, although the purchaser is not identified.
- 1735
Major eighteenth-century alterations
[1]The Robinson family remodelled much of the house and added a three-storey south-west extension.
- 1665
Death of Thomas Robinson
[1]Thomas Robinson, a colonel and former Mayor of Helston, was killed by a bull at Nansloe.
Products and positioning
A historic Cornish country house and heritage property, formerly positioned as a hotel and now associated primarily with private residential and architectural heritage use.
Sources1 sources
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