How the Hollywood elite have turned the eco-home into the ‘ego-home’

Cate Blanchett is just the latest A-lister to upset locals with construction work on her eco-mansion in Cornwall. Here, Jonathan Glancey looks at the growing trend for one-percenters’ green-styled mega-homes and asks: are they really just the latest show-off status symbol?

Ongoing construction on the star’s latest build has angered her Cornish neighbours (Greg Martin/Cornwall Live/Getty) (Greg Martin / Cornwall Live/Getty)

“Mawgan Porth”, claims its local website, “is a little-known but never forgotten village on the rugged coastline of North Cornwall. With spectacular scenery and a phenomenal beachfront, there is no surprise in learning that those who have discovered the raw beauty of Mawgan Porth are reluctant to share!”

Save, that is, with a front row of fellow A-list, beach-ready, eco-aware, celebrities: Jason Momoa; Jason Statham; Jamie Dornan; Stanley Tucci. And a name, you surely will recognise, Cate Blanchett.

With its enclosing cliffs and Atlantic rollers, the sandy cove here is naturally glorious. From an architectural viewpoint, Mawgan Porth is a sprawl of suburban-style homes, dating mostly from the 1930s to the present day.