What is value?

Why have we come to think that value means cheap?

And why is expensive seen to mean that something costs a lot?

To me expensive means merely that the item costs more than it is worth. And here’s the important part… more than it’s worth to you.

And value? Well surely it’s no coincidence that monetary value and personal values stem from the same noun.

All these thoughts were flooding through my mind as we sat in The Old Dairy last night.

We were toasty warm in front of its huge roaring fire, as Mark cooked our meal on top of the wood burning stove.

The cottage was filled with the smell of the gorgeous dinner to come.

But it wasn’t the smell, the anticipation, or the warmth that had me considering value.

It was the solidity of the place.

This house was built to last.

To last for centuries.

It has already. And it will again.

It’s the mantel stone that most impresses.

It is massive. Utterly massive. Today that single stone would cost as much as the house did when it was built.

I guess that originally there would have been a cast iron Cornish range in the space beneath it. While having one there now would add romance to the place, the wood burner is a whole lot easier to live with.

The proportions of the house make you feel safe.

It was built with true values.

And provided the right people continue to own it, then it’ll stand far longer than any of us lucky people who get to stay there.

Long after we have discarded all of our flat packed furniture, The Old Dairy will be standing.

Long after our unfeasibly cheap linens have shredded and been replaced, its patina will only have improved.

At Tregiffian we’re gradually moving from the mass produced, to favour craft. Quality items, built to last by skilled manufacturers.

I hope many of our guests will appreciate the difference.

The beauty of handling an aged piece, be that a chair, a cooking implement, even a cast iron cooking pot that has fed many guests before.

It may be a cast iron bath that is perhaps a bit scratchy, but that is responsible for the cleanliness of generations.

Tregiffian, and the wonderful properties of The Cornish Way, is a truly special place. Rugged, yet calming. Remote, yet connected.

And it continues to get better as years slip by.

Its value far surpasses any figure denoted by currency.

Come enjoy. Come relax. Come and fall in love.