The Cornish holiday home where Daphne du Maurier wrote her first novel has been given protected status.

Originally developed as a boatyard and quayside in the 1800s, Ferryside in Bodinnick, on the River Fowey in south-east Cornwall, was bought in 1926 by the du Maurier family who transformed it into a second home.

It was there du Maurier wrote The Loving Spirit, published to acclaim in 1931, and later Gerald: A Portrait, a biography of her father.

The house and its quay have been given Grade II listed status by the Culture Department on the advice of government heritage agency Historic England to recognise its significance.

Du Maurier is said to have written the book after discovering the wreck of the schooner Jane Slade, named after a woman who became the protagonist in the novel.

The schooner’s owner gave the author the vessel’s figurehead which she installed under her bedroom window, a replica of which now resides in the same location.

Du Maurier later remembered: “The Loving Spirit was inspired by the sense of freedom my new existence at Ferryside brought.”

The building was constructed of local granite in the early 1800s, serving as a shipwright’s workshop, yard and quay, and is an important survivor of Cornwall’s maritime heritage, Historic England said.

Heritage minister John Glen said: “Ferryside is the site where Dame Daphne du Maurier’s love affair with Cornwall began – the region that inspired her works, which are some of the greatest novels of the 20th century.”