In 1994, it was the subject of a BBC Bristol documentary, which tells the story of former Newquay policeman Derek Fowkes as he searches for absentee landlord, John Paget Figg-Hoblyn.

[1] John Paget Figg-Hoblyn claimed to be the rightful heir to the estate after the death of his father, Francis, who died in 1965.

[citation needed] Francis Figg-Hoblyn, owner of the Fir Hill Manor estate, died in 1965.

However, John Paget Figg-Hoblyn had returned to the United States without making it clear he had accepted the inheritance.

[3][5] The manor was valued at £5 million, as of 2007, and had a regular rental income of £88,000 a year from the five farms and six houses of the estate.