Rosamunde Pilcher, a Home

'Riverview House', as described in the book, COMING HOME, by Rosamunde Pilcher

For sale?! I dove at once for my cell phone, ready to call the kindly husband and make my case. But - oh dear, he would be asleep now, wouldn't he...and wouldn't it be rude to wake him..

So I will stand there, and contemplate. It is a nice house, yes, a very nice one. Tall, and stately, and surely just as nice inside. But that is not why I was so interested. It isn't just any house, dear Readers. It is HER house. The house of the lady who is the reason I came to Cornwall in the first place. Rosamunde. Pitcher. Her house.

I took down the particulars, and saw a little orange sign just below the 'for sale'. It said, in a faded lettering, 'PLOT'. I had no idea at all what they might mean by 'PLOT', and so promptly forgot it. And on we walked.

Later in the week I happened to be near the Bradley's Estate Agent office and thought that I really should go in. Even if they thought I was crazy, I should really go in. And ask.

And, I did sort of tiptoe in. A lady sat, regarding me kindly, and said, "How may we help?"

"Well, I was out at Lelant, and came across the house right next to the Lelant Railway Station. Do you know the one?"

Oh yes, she knew it. 

"And, it is for sale?" I queried.

"Oh well, no, actually madam, the house is not for sale. The PLOT is for sale."

Oh. We discussed PLOTs, and houses, and land. It turned out that the PLOT is the green grassy area just below the house, and just above the sort of hedgerow, you see. It is only a part of the land, it is not the house that is for sale.

"But why would anyone want to sell just that plot?"

The SconeLady can see herself sitting with scones in front of the fire, of a chilly evening..

It was because the house currently needs repairs, and the only way to do that is to sell part of the land. And whoever buys the plot of land will likely come and build something on it. And block out HER house.

"Does she know it used to be Rosamunde Pilcher's house???" I asked, a bit of desperation in my voice.

"No, I don't think she knows that. I did not know that until this instant."

It boggles the mind. If this were in the States there would be neon signs announcing the home of Rosamunde Pilcher. The street would probably be named after her. That house would probably be on a 'famous homes tour', with noisy buses driving past it day and night.

But this is Cornwall, dear Readers. One can actually, simply live, here. (Who knew?)

See you along the way!

the SconeLady