Cornish hill near Helston listed for sale for £150,000

Tregonning Hill is listed for sale for £150,000

A historic site in Cornwall known for being the birthplace of the china clay industry has been put up for sale.

Tregonning Hill, near Helston, is a scheduled monument with commanding views of the sea and countryside.

It contains monuments dating back to the Iron Age and is the first location to be mined for china clay by Plymouth chemist William Cookworthy in 1768.

The 70-acre (28 hectare) site is listed for sale by estate agents Lillicrap Chillot for £150,000.

The estate agent said the property included Bronze Age burial mounds, the Iron Age hillfort of Castle Pencaire, two defended settlements or rounds, a well-preserved medieval field system, a quarry where Methodism founder John Wesley was believed to have preached and a war memorial.

The hill contains a number of public paths and a war memorial

The site, which reaches 636ft (194m) above sea level, also contains two rare plants - lawn chamomile and western liverwort - which means part of the hill is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Much of the site is access land and is crossed by public footpaths.

As a scheduled monument, permission needs to be sought from Historic England to carry out work.

Lillicrap Chillot said the property, currently owned by a local person, was "an amazing piece of Cornwall" due to its history and natural beauty.

It said it welcomed private, charitable and public interest in the site.