When Anouska Lancaster Googled the 17-room Georgian house in Boscastle, north Cornwall, that she had just bought, she didn’t expect it to reveal such a terrifying secret.
The award-winning interior designer - who has worked with a wealth of celebrities - and her husband Greig Scott had fallen in love instantly with Penally House when they decided to relocate near the coast and find their “forever home” in October 2021.
The Grade II-listed period property, which was built in 1836, was very rundown, inside and out, but Anouska, 43, who has a penchant for patterns, could see beyond the abode’s chequered past - having, over the years, been ransacked, been a brothel, a drug den and used by squatters.
She was excited by Penally’s potential - although Anouska admits she was stopped in her tracks the day after exchanging contracts on the home.
“The house is a very important part of Boscastle’s history,” Anouska, billed by Vogue magazine as the UK's most influential interiors expert, tells me.
“There are lots of stories and tales about the house. One of which is that it’s haunted. I discovered this on Google the day after we exchanged! I remember Greig asking me why I looked so white, and I told him that Penally House was in a book called ‘The UK’s most haunted homes!’.
“I nearly fell off my chair. When we went back to the house to visit the owners, I asked them outright if the house was haunted and the gentleman replied, ‘don’t all houses have a woman on the back staircase’. I nervously laughed as I wasn’t sure if he was joking.”
Thankfully, Anouska admits that two years and one huge restoration project later, she is yet to set eyes on anything otherworldly. “I am pleased to say that I’ve never felt anything untoward at the house. If there are ghosts, then I can only presume they like pink!” she laughs.
Anouska, who runs Noushka Designs, noushkadesign.com, and Greig decided to relocate from Berkshire to Cornwall, after buying a cottage there in 2018 and realising the benefits of seaside life.
Penally House popped up on Rightmove just as the couple started looking in May 2021. They headed to the quaint fishing village of Boscastle the day before viewing the property and it was “love at first sight.”
Anouska admits: “We knew we had to do everything in our power to secure the house the following day, as it was meant to be.
“I fell in love with the house as soon as I saw it. It looks like a doll’s house or a children’s drawing, with its perfect symmetry and central front door. We viewed the house in May and when we pulled up, the entire garden was covered in a blanket of purple bluebells. It looked like something out of a Disney movie.
“Built in 1836 with a wealth of history and character, the house was in dire need of renovation. Despite this, I could see the potential and had to do my best ‘poker face’ as we viewed the property, pretending that I wasn’t bursting at the seams with excitement.”
After securing the house, the couple’s first point of call was to restore as many of the period features as possible. The gates and railings were missing from the entrance of the property; there were only two original fireplaces as the rest had been stolen along with the original staircase; while other rooms had holes in the floorboards where the squatters had made fires to keep warm.
“It was very important to Greig and I that we restored the heritage of the house, replacing the covings, cornice, ceiling roses and panelling that once existed,” Anouska explains.
“We restored the stained glass window with mouth-blown glass, replacing the cheap glass covered in plastic film. The 1990s white box radiators were replaced with cast iron radiators and the fireplaces relaced with ones from the 1800s that we sourced from salvage yards and eBay.
“The style of the house today is one of a heritage feel, but with a contemporary twist. We wanted it to be a fun home that reflected the young family that live in it. Each room is totally unique and full of colour and pattern. I wanted to bring a smile to everyone’s faces and bring a feeling of joy to everyone who walks in.”
Inside Penally House, the decor really is a feast for the eyes, a celebration of colour and pattern. As well as splashing out on must-have items, including the pink, 1.5-metre Everhot cooker, which Anouska designed the entire kitchen around, there are plenty of bargain buys.
The couple would visit antique and flea markets, rummage through charity shops and hunt on eBay, with most of the art and furniture in their home being bought pre-loved.
“That’s what makes a house a home – when the pieces are all different, totally unique and have their own story and memories linked to them,” Anouska says.
“Greig is always so supportive of me, and he allowed me to experiment with bold and brave design schemes that push boundaries. I wanted to bring joy to everyone who enters house. My previous marriage brought me a lot of darkness and restrictions. I wanted to celebrate my freedom and the joy of my new life through the design of Penally House.
“I am so happy and grateful for the life that I fought for, and I hope this can be seen in the interiors of the house. Life is too short for grey walls - Life should be celebrated!”
The kitchen, with a big central island, is the hub of the home, and where family and friends gather around to chat, with a log-burning stove making the room feel very warm and cosy.
While Anouska admits it’s the front sitting room where they go to relax, on a big, pink corner sofa, which they can all fit onto - and their dogs have a large bed in the room too.
For Anouska, who can’t speak about her celebrity clients due to privacy reasons, it’s the reaction from locals and viewers who have seen Penally House [@penally_house_cornwall on Instagram] on Channel 4’s Renovation Nation - for which they’re currently filming a new series, to air this year.
“I have been overwhelmed by the reaction to the TV show ‘Renovation Nation’ on Channel 4, which we feature in. I have had so many people contact me, from viewers of the show to journalists from some of the biggest publications. The biggest ‘pinch me moment’ when we were featured over a double page spread in ‘The Sunday Times’ – it really was a dream come true.
“As much as the press is wonderful and rewarding, the biggest compliment has been the reactions from the locals. We have been welcomed with open arms into the community and everyone has been so complimentary about what we’ve done with Penally House. It’s a very important property to the local community, and I am so happy that they love what we are doing.”
