Tiny Cornish village for sale for £725,000 - but be warned: it's smaller than you think

Polperro is a pretty fishing village on Cornwall’s south coast. There is a harbour dotted with small, colourful boats, a small, sandy beach, and white stone cottages which wind their way around the harbour and up the hillside. Polperro, in all its glory, could be yours for just £725,000 – in miniature version.

Constructed in the late 1940s, Polperro Model Village is a tiny, detailed replica of the village, built to 1/24th of its real size.

A popular tourist attraction, it prides itself on its accurate reproduction of the village, which includes the harbour, beach, church, shops and houses. Miniature boats float on blue water, with tiny model fishermen, walkers on the cliffs and couples on the beach. There is even a small version of the model village itself.

“Have you ever dreamed of owning an entire village?” reads the listing for the property, which is for sale with Carla Jones Estate Agents. “Now you can, with the sale of The Model Village in Polperro coming to the market for the first time in many years.”

The sale includes the model village and “Land of Legends” attraction: a light, sound and animation show which explores Cornish pirates and smuggler folklore. This is housed in an indoor display area on the building’s ground floor, while the model village is contained within the property’s garden.

Both are part of a larger, three-bedroom house, which is accessed from an inner lobby door which leads to a flight of stairs. Occupying the first floor of the building, the owner’s accommodation has a kitchen —featuring a vaulted ceiling— sitting room, family bathroom and large, 433 square foot sun terrace.

Measuring a total of 2,669 square feet, the property also includes a workshop space.

Polperro Model Village is owned by Lee and Julie Gregory, who acquired the property from Lee’s father, who bought it in the mid-1980s. Since it opened, it has survived fire and the heavy floods of 1976 and 1993. Now, though, it faces a new challenge: the search for a new owner.

It is pitched as an opportunity for a buyer keen to continue running the model village – and to enjoy living in its lively, larger twin.

“For years, visitors and locals alike have enjoyed the quirky village in both its forms,” reads the listing. “The new owners can take full advantage of what is on offer here.”