In 1830, Gurney leased a plot of land overlooking Summerleaze Beach in Bude, from his friend Sir Thomas Acland, and set about the construction of a new house to be built amongst the sand hills. The construction rested on an innovative concrete raft foundation, representing an early worked example of this technique. The original house called "The Castle" still stands but has been extended over the past century. The Bude and Stratton Heritage Trust has been formed and plans are well advanced, under the "Limelight Project", to raise funds to "interpret the fascinating history and heritage of Bude and the surrounding area, within Bude Castle". In this period he became godfather to William Carew Hazlitt, who notes that Gurney was involved in property development in Fulham.