Pub Perfection Collection: a skinflint x Harbour House collaboration

We caught up with Tamara Costin and William Speed, owners and creative minds behind the wonderful Harbour House in Flushing. Loved by locals and tourists alike, this new venture has been a huge success and a wonderful addition to the small-yet-vibrant village. As the inspiration behind our Pub Perfection Collection, and our new after work go-to, read on to find out what goes on behind the pub doors!

Introduce us to Harbour House. What’s the ethos?

I created our original restaurant, bar and café, Beach House, on the National Trust-protected South Milton Sands in the South Hams. I took on a tiny, grimy takeaway shack and transformed it into the food critic-acclaimed, cult-loved all-day seafood-driven dining destination it is today. In time, alongside my partner William Speed, we opened School House, situated at the heart of the wild and enigmatic Flete Estate, a place for long brunches, lingering lunches and shared feasting opportunities. 

In Summer 2023 we opened our first Cornish outpost; Harbour House. Situated kissing the shorefront in the pretty village of Flushing, the transformation of the pub (formerly known as the Seven Stars) has reset the compass for what a Cornish pub is, and what it can be. Together, everyone involved in the House Group is committed to combining optimum, laidback, inside-and-outside, memorable locations with the unique ‘force of nature’ hospitality. 

What do you know about the building’s history at Harbour House?

Given its location next to Falmouth, home to the original Packet Ships, the village of Flushing has always had a maritime feel. Throughout the centuries, many of the buccaneers, traders, captains, crew, mutineers and local fisherman have taken residence in Flushing, benefiting from its proximity to Falmouth and its nautical links!  

The village, its surrounds and its shoreside pub, now fittingly rechristened Harbour House, have all borne witness to a host of different famous historical events and wars. These have had international repercussions and the town has always maintained its profile as a hub of local trade activity. Like most of Flushing, the Seven Stars was owned by the Trefusis Estate who gained the lands from the second half of the 13th Century, with Robert George William Trefusis signing over the lease to Samuel Croxall of Mylor in 1789. The handover document names it as an inn with a ‘dwelling house’, having a ‘stable’. It was sold for a consideration of £225 back then and the yearly rent was £2 and 2 shillings per annum! The pub was also subject to frequent flooding during large spring tides up until 1908, when it was raised three feet, beforehand it would not be uncommon to see barrels floating in the entrance of the inn! 

Harbour House is now in our hands, as well as the much acclaimed Beach House in South Milton Sands and School House at Mothecombe on the Flete Estate – both in Devon. Both also follow a similar upcycling and sustainability-led philosophy and practices. 

Tell us about the restoration process at Harbour House 

The establishment’s new name, Harbour House, honours a century-long history of marine trading in Flushing, its seafaring traditions and the building’s former use as board and lodging for Dutch shipping crews. 

To create the ‘new’ interior, we took out a number of obstructive walls, majorly opening up the space. We stripped back and exposed original features such as wooden beams, fireplaces, paint and plasterwork and, hiding under a dreadful old carpet, beautiful original floor tiles. 

Alongside the new textural surfaces of raw and painted brickwork and stunning original stonework, the team added new windows in place of the painted shut ones. We also brought the kitchen out from the back area and made it an open area, so the chef’s craft can be seen and enjoyed by diners.

We worked with a local boat builder/joiner to design and craft a bespoke oak bar, as well as eight hand crafted outside tables where you can sit and watch the boats pass by. 

How would you describe the interior style at Harbour House?

In keeping with the locally sourced-ingredients, the interiors are now authentic and honest – paying homage to the original building, its architecture and the original stone, brick and tile work.  

Tell us more about the food!

Set on the waterfront in the historic village of Flushing, on the South Cornish coast, Harbour House is a pub that is dedicated to creating and achieving new levels of sustainability in the hospitality industry. We serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as an all-day bar menu with small plates and bar snacks. All sport an array of dishes that showcase the freshest of produce from the surrounding sea, rivers, fields and gardens.

We’re very excited to be bringing a number of our senior chefs from its cult-loved Beach House and School House in Devon to work on the Cornish shoreline at Flushing. The continual, shared commitment to local and sustainable sourcing, from the finest producers and suppliers, sees some of the House’s classic sharing dishes, all with a quirky Cornish pub twist, being served alongside an impressive cocktail list, bespoke wines from Wanderlust and the extremely popular Verdant Brewing Co. and Treen’s beers. 

In your opinion, what key ingredients make the perfect pub?

The location, the soul of the building, the natural ambience, the team working there, the best beer, epic cocktails, great food, perfect entertainment and awesome customers. Harbour House has all of this in spades! Wide open windows in the summer and cosy fires at either end of the building in the winter. There’s regular quiz nights, shanty singers and local musicians, seasonal events, pop-up feasts, live sporting matches on the big TV and special event evenings.  

What effect do you think the vintage lights at Harbour House have on the space?

As soon as we saw skinflint’s beautifully restored lights, we knew we needed a selection for Harbour House. With their workshop just down the road, skinflint lights perfectly harmonise with the restoration process of the building, celebrating, preserving and honouring the history and heritage of this soulful building.  

The skinflint selections are decorative as well as functional, creating an immediate ambiance as well as a standout feature by hanging the lights in cascading clusters.

Tell us more about the collaboration and why it’s a perfect fit for our two brands…

The Pub Perfection Collection is a local and organic collaboration. We were keen to champion and celebrate local and best-of-British suppliers and the skinflint aesthetic perfectly chimes with the look and feel we were seeking.

What’s next in the pipeline for you and the team?

We’re continuing to build our fan base for all three of our current Houses – Beach House and School House in Devon and Harbour House in Flushing.  We can’t tell you what’s next just yet, but safe to say, it’s exciting…

Is there anything else you’d like to mention that you think we’ve missed…

Negronis – and dogs!  Two of Harbour House’s most favourite things – along with our stunning lights of course… 

Explore the Pub Perfection x Harbour House Collection, and follow our instagram for updates on the upcoming giveaway!

harbourhouseflushing.co.uk