Nansloe, near Helston

The site’s story begins with a 16th-century farm cottage...

Replaced in early 17th century by the foundations of the manor house

built for William Robinson and the daughter of Thomas Penrose from the

neighbouring Penrose Estate.  Their son, Thomas, notably served as a

colonel in King Charles I’s army and became mayor of Helston.

During the 18th century, an extensive Georgian remodelling was

undertaken, including a three-storey extension, shaping the elegant

façade seen today. 

A further extension followed in the 19th century.

In 1857 there is evidence of an auction of the property in the form of a newspaper cutting from the West Briton but no record of the purchaser.

It is believed that about 1871 having been made unsafe by fire,

part of the original house was demolished, the stone being used to hedge

the yard of the nearby Home Farm. In 1872 the house was sold to Adolphus William Young,

MP for Helston, who made further additions and alterations. Young was

not re-elected to Parliament in 1880 and he sold Nansloe to Henry Rogers

(died 1887), a solicitor and grandson of the inventor Henry Trengrouse. Rogers restored and re-roofed the building and removed trees to give a view of Loe Pool.^[3]

In 1898 the house passed to Henry Rogers, son of Henry Montague

Rogers, later knighted and known as 'Sir Montague'. Still further

enlargements were made to the house. His extension to the south-east was

much grander and to a different scale altogether, considerably larger

rooms with greater ceiling heights, as are evidenced in the lounge and

bedrooms one, two and three.

Major Tanner Rogers, his son, inherited the Manor in circa 1940. 
In World War II, Nansloe Manor was requisitioned to billet injured

Italian and German prisoners of war, before being brought back into the

Penrose Estate in 1942. 
In 1942 it was bought back into the Penrose Estate by Captain John

Lionel Rogers. John Lionel Rogers died on 5 November 1961, without

issue; his younger brother gave up his right of succession in favour of

his eldest son, Lieutenant Commander J P Rogers.

Gifted to the National Trust in 1974,

returning to private ownership in 1982, whereupon it began its life as a

hotel.
In 1974 Nansloe Manor was given to the National Trust as part of a package of over 1,500 acres (6.1 km²) of woodland and farmland, Loe Pool,

houses, buildings and four miles (6 km) of foreshore. However, as the

Manor House at that time was not a listed building, the Trust decided to

sell it, along with The Lodge and Nansloe Farm. Since 1975 Nansloe

Manor has been in private ownership and was run as a hotel for many

years, although it has now reverted to a private dwelling.

The manor changed hands in 2021, with the new owners acquiring the separate Nansloe Lodge in 2022.