Confirmed · Port Gaverne and Port Quin · Holiday cottage
Port Gaverne Beach House
Portwenn Police House, home of PC Penhale in Doc Martin. This place is private and can only be seen from lawful public space.
- On screen as
- Portwenn Police House, home of PC Penhale
- Series and episodes
- Series 1–10
- Access
- View from public space · holiday let
- Time needed
- 5 minutes within a cove visit
- Where
- Port Gaverne, Cornwall
On screen
How Port Gaverne Beach House appears
The National Trust identifies Port Gaverne Beach House as the Police House set in Doc Martin. On screen it is PC Joe Penhale's police station and home, the scene of his many schemes and mishaps. As with the other village frontages, the signs that made it a police house were added for filming. Its cove-side position means it sits slightly apart from Port Isaac, which suits Penhale's place on the edge of village life.
The real place
What you can see
Today the building is a National Trust holiday cottage, rented to guests. It is not open to callers and there is no exhibition inside. You can see it from the public road and the cove at Port Gaverne, which is the right way to look. Stay back from its garden and windows, keep the road and parking spaces clear and do not photograph guests. If you would like to stay, the cottage can be booked through National Trust Holidays.
This is a guest's holiday home. Look from the public cove and road, and leave the garden, door and windows alone.
National Trust: Port Gaverne Beach House ↗Port Gaverne is about half a mile east of Port Isaac on the coast path and road. Roadside parking at the cove is very limited, so walking over from Port Isaac's New Road car park is usually easier. Paths and the cove slope are uneven.
Common questions
Planning a responsible visit
Where was the Doc Martin police station?
Port Gaverne Beach House in Port Gaverne, half a mile east of Port Isaac. The National Trust identifies it as the Police House set.
Can you visit the Police House?
Not as a sight to go into. It is a holiday cottage let to guests. View it from the public cove and road, or book it through National Trust Holidays.
Does it still look like a police station?
No. The police signs and dressing were temporary and were removed after filming.
Is it pinned on the map?
No. This guide does not pin homes or holiday lets. Port Gaverne cove itself is mapped, and the cottage is beside it.
Private means private
See it only from public space.
Combine it with the cove at Port Gaverne and the coast path walk back to Port Isaac.
Nearby
Continue through Port Gaverne and Port Quin
Port Gaverne
Coastal scenes around Portwenn
See the location →
Doyden Castle
Mrs Tishell's cliff-top hideaway in the Series 5 finale
See the location →Material corrections and access updates