Rising Sun: Our new refurbishment project

While we’ll be closing our doors for the winter season, we’re looking forward to welcoming you back in the early spring.

New Year, new us! The pub will be receiving a complete transformation, from restaurant to rooms just in time for a busy summer ahead. We’re catching up with Caroline, our interior designer, and Paul, our archivist, as the project moves into its next stage.

Caroline: 

What is the inspiration behind the development of the Rising Sun?

We saw the Rising Sun project as the perfect opportunity to inject some real character into the site and to reflect the history of creative culture in St Mawes. The building itself has great bones, and we wanted to enhance that to make it a special and eclectic space for people to enjoy.

What can guests expect to find upon reopening?

The building will be transformed, with a full refurbishment of the trading area and bedrooms above, alongside a new accommodation block with serviced apartments suitable for those wishing to stay a little longer.

The trading area will contain all the elements of a great community pub, and we’ll be injecting lots of character to compliment the individuality of the building. Bedrooms will be an eclectic mix of materials and textures, designed with a real getaway retreat experience in mind.

What development at the Rising Sun are you most excited about? 

I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished bedroom schemes and the combination of beautiful natural materials. Restoring some of the unique pieces of furniture and artwork that have lived in the pub for years and making them part of the new chapter in the Rising Sun is something else I’m also excited to see once the refurbishment is complete.

What impact will this have on the pub and the St Mawes community? 

Ultimately, we’re invested in making an incredible space for everyone who uses the Rising Sun. Pubs are about experience, and we want to create an environment where people can feel comfortable and enjoy their time, whether it’s a pint after work or a holiday retreat.

How long will the development take and what is the process?

We’re adding the last design details now, with work due to start in January, and we’ll be aiming to open in the spring.

Paul:

When was the Rising Sun built and who by? 

The Rising Sun was an inn throughout the 19^th century, run between 1844 and 1897 by two generations of the Hancock family. The building was owned by the Spry family of Place House, a large house in the French chateaux style on the other side of the water.

We believe the property may have reverted to a private residence between 1897 and 1903 as it was first listed as the Rising Sun in 1903.

How long has St Austell managed the property?

The building was leased by St Austell Brewery in 1922 for a yearly rental of £25 and eventually bought in 1930 for £132. It became part of the managed pub estate last year having been a tenanted pub for several years prior.

Can you tell us a bit more about St Mawes?

In 1880, St Mawes was described as a ‘quiet little fishing village, and consists of a long straggling street, fronting the water; it has, however, a good pier, which was erected in 1854, and a seawall, with a parapet built not long ago, along the centre front of the town.’ 

Its popularity as a tourist destination during the second half of the 19^th century is what prompted Walter Hicks to build his first purpose-built hotel in St Mawes, the Ship & Castle. However, St Mawes also played an important part in medieval times – you’ll find the most perfectly preserved of Henry VIII’s coastal fortresses in the port.

Today, St Mawes continues to be a popular spot for those visiting the Roseland Peninsula – as well as visitors to Falmouth, the two connected by a regularly running ferry.