Underfloor Heating at Pengersick Castle, Cornwall

The Goal

Pengersick Castle in Praa Sands, Cornwall, is one of the UK’s most historically significant — and famously haunted — properties. The Pengersick Historic and Education Trust commissioned essential restoration work to improve facilities for guests attending ghost nights, tours, and educational events.

The castle’s granite walls made traditional heating impossible, and the stone floors left the interior uncomfortably cold. The challenge was to install an efficient, unobtrusive underfloor heating system that would enhance visitor comfort while preserving the building’s historic character.

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Our Solution

Through our subsidiary Heatmat, Heatcom Group supplied a 200 W/m² underfloor heating system designed specifically for high heat-loss areas like the castle’s 500-year-old kitchen.

The installation, carried out by GN Electrical of Truro, featured underfloor heating mats mounted on 20 mm thermal insulation boards to maximise efficiency and provide faster warm-up times. Heatmat’s flexible self-levelling compound was poured over the heating mats to create a smooth surface for the new slate tile flooring.

To ensure full control and visibility, the system was paired with a 16 Amp NGT programmable thermostat timer, allowing temperature adjustments and monitoring of energy usage directly in pounds and pence.

This configuration provided a powerful yet sensitive heating solution that blended seamlessly with the castle’s restoration and met the strict preservation standards required for historic buildings.

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The Result

The underfloor heating system has transformed the comfort levels in the castle’s historic kitchen — making it warm and welcoming for visitors during ghost nights and events, while maintaining the building’s heritage aesthetic.

As the Pengersick team jokingly noted, the heating has removed the winter chill, but not the mysterious cold shudders the castle is famous for!