Falmouth Methodist Church in Cornwall reveal new plans

The Falmouth Methodist Church on Killigrew Street had been up for sale for around six months before going to tender and is now owned by business partners Harry James Mills and Shaun White, who also own Falmouth-based businesses Solskinn - a coffee and cocktail bar located at The Poly - WeSUP - the paddleboard centre located at Gylly beach that the pair have run for 12 years.

Now, the pair, along with two other partners, are looking forward to creating a space that retains the communal use of the old church space while also providing two commercial outlets and local residential properties.

The upstairs church area will be retained as an events venue and community space

Speaking exclusively to The Packet, Harry said: "We never thought we'd do this.

"It's totally mad, it's almost a bit surreal, taking it on.

"What we're going to do is going to split off into two commercial units, each with their own courtyard which will be absolutely stunning.

"Our company Solskinn will take on one and one of Falmouth's famous, already established restaurants will be taking on the other.

"I won't name drop them as I'd like them to do it in their own time, but it's really exciting.

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"Then we've got the second floor which will be studio apartments, which will be running through the middle of the building.

"Then on the top floor, which is the existing main church place, that will remain an open space that we're positioning as an events and community enterprise.

"We've got loads of ideas about what we're looking to do and we've got a couple of people lined up already that we want to bring in for events."

Harry is a local boy himself and even had an existing connection to the church before taking it over.

Harry continued: "I actually came to a toddler group here, my business partner Shaun, his three children have also done their nativity plays here, and we've come to weddings, funerals and christenings here.

Harry says he'd like to see the main church space retained as somewhere people can just be.

"Because we're local boys that have been in business here a long time, the network we've built up is pretty special.

"The space upstairs is what it is, I think it almost needs to stay as a kind of opportunity for the public to come and use it.

"A business like ours, taking on this buildings and doing what we're proposing, which is basically just creating spaces where people can just be, will mean that the doors are still always open.

"So regardless of whether you want to come in and purchase things from our business or not, you're still always welcome to come in.

"Without sounding too righteous, we do feel like we're saving the building and doing something which will benefit the local community, as opposed to changing it and shutting the doors."