Description

MAWGAN-IN-PYDAR
SW 86 SE
6/60 Carnanton House
25.8.87
GV II*

House. Circa 1710; remodelled early C19, with additions of circa 1830 and later C19
alterations and additions. Few later alterations. Dressed coursed slatestone rubble
with granite dressings. Hipped bitumenised slate roof. Granite ashlar stacks to
sides.
Plan: The 1710 house was of double depth plan, with central entrance to large
entrance hall, principal room to front right and left; service rooms to rear, with
stair hall and room to rear right. In the early C19 the house was remodelled; the
right side became the entrance front, and the room to right was altered as an
entrance hall. In the early C19, a single storey rear range was added to the right
of the new entrance front, containing 3 rooms. In the mid C19, the house was
extended at what had become the rear for service rooms; a lateral corridor was
inserted along what had become the rear left, and a new stack inserted for the
kitchen ranges. A large wing was built to rear left, enclosing a small service yard
at the right side, and a wing of one-room plan was added at the left end. The rooms
at the original front of the house became prinicpal rooms along the garden front at
the left side.
Exterior: The entrance front is symmetrical, of 2 storeys on plinth with attic,
first floor band course, with rusticated quoins only to left (formerly at the early
C18 front). Plain granite quoins to right. Central late C18 granite Ionic portico
with paired columns and cornice, flight of granite steps leading to inner pair of
doorways with pilasters and cornices. Each doorway has double doors, panelled and
half-glazed. 2-light 8-pane casement to right and left with voussoirs and granite
keystone. At first floor there are 4 windows, two to right 12-pane sashes, two to
left blind and painted, all with voussoirs and granite keystones, those at first
floor with floating cornice. Moulded granite cornice overall.
Attached to right is the addition of early C19, of single storey, with a central
canted bay and 2 bays to right and left. Plinth, cornice and parapet with coping,
hipped roof with rooflights. Canted bay has 3 plate-glass sashes, 2 plate-glass
sashes to right and two 2-light 8-pane casements to left, all with voussoirs and
keystone and external shutters.
The left side is the original early C18 front, a symmetrical 2-storey front on plinth
with attic; first floor band course and rusticated quoins; moulded cornice and
parapet with coping. 7 bays; all windows are C19 plate-glass sashes in the original
apertures. Ground floor has central half-glazed C20 door, with the line of former
pediment above; rusticated granite surround. All windows have voussoirs with
keystone, first floor windows with floating cornices. Attached to left, there is a
lower 2-storey C19 addition, on plinth, with band course, cornice, parapet and coping
and quoins. 2 plate-glass sashes at ground and first floor with granite lintels with
keystones.
Tne right side is the original rear of the house; at attic level, the main range is
visible above the C19 additions. One early C18 18-pane sash survives, with thick
glazing bars, flat-faced outside and ovolo-moulded inside, in exposed box. Other
windows are C19 sashes with brick voussoirs, first floor windows with floating
cornices. Also a fine early C18 lead rainwater head with shield of arms. At the
right side, the end of the early C19 addition is to left; this has a 6-panelled door
with granite columns supporting a flat hood with dentil cornice, panelled soffit.
The 2-storey C19 service wing is to right, with half-hipped roof and 2-light casement
at ground floor to right. The service yard is partly infilled by an addition with
gable end with double doors. The service yard is slate paved, with a granite trough
and pump. C19 12-pane sash and C20 door, with C19 dormers above.
The rear of the house is the original left side; the cornice with parapet and coping
are returned. To left there is the C19 addition with band course, cornice and
parapet with coping. Ground floor has 2 louvred windows, first floor has two 12-pane
sashes with cambered brick arches with keystones. To end left is the 2-storey C19
service wing, with attic, rendered, of 4 bays, with random fenestration, all sashes.
There is a small 2-storey block attached at the left end, in rubble, with nipped
slate roof; external stair to upper door. Between the service range and th C19
addition to the main house, the C19 kitchen was extended, as a single storey canted
bay with C20 casements to all sides.
Interior: The entrance hall was remodelled in circa early-mid C19. Panelled walls,
with a-screen of Ionic columns dividing the entrance hall from the stair hall; frieze
and plaster ceiling. The plasterwork is all of very high quality. The mahogany
stair hall is of the C19, open-well stair with turned balusters, moulded swept
handrail, ramped dado panelling and closed string with Greek key frieze. The ceiling
over the stair hall has plasterwork, with plaster surrounds to paintings on the rear
and side walls; the surrounds have scrolled heads and swags of fruits and flowers,
with a vertical panel to each side with a grotesque at the top. The plasterwork
includes plums, pomegranates, grapes, etc. with fine vigorous modelling. Modillions
on the landing cornice.
At ground floor there are 3 rooms along the left side. The first room has marble
chimney-piece, with cupboard to each side, of early C18, with shaped shelves and
plaster acanthus moulding. Fine plaster ceiling and dado panelling, panelled
shutters to windows, enriched modillion cornice. All the ground floor rooms have 6-
panelled doors with egg and dart mouldings.
The central room has late C18 marble chimney-piece with Ionic columns, plaster
overmantel with swags and fluted Ionic pilasters. The doors are set in eared
architraves, pulvinated frieze with egg and dart cornice. Fielded dado panelling and
modillion cornice.
The end room to left was divided in circa mid C19, to form the corridor giving access
to the service rooms. However, the early C18 moulded plaster cornice remains intact,
with a cable moulding and central plasterwork. All fielded panelling with
bolection-moulded dado rail and marble chimney-piece, with mantel with central panel
with swags. To rear left is the C19 addition of one-room plan, with a stone chimney-
piece. Along the rear is the slate-paved corridor; the C19 kitchen retains C19
mantels over double fireplaces, one C19 range still in situ, made by Oatey and Martyn
of Wadebridge. The site of the former service stair from ground to first floor is a
larder; above, the service stair of the early C18 remains from first floor to attic,
with turned balusters with circular knops and ramped dado panelling.
The early-mid C19 addition, to right of entrance hall, has 3 interconnecting rooms;
all rooms have 6-panelled doors with egg and dart mouldings. The plasterwork in
these rooms is very rich, all rooms with chimney-pieces in marble. The central room
has the canted bay, panelled plasterwork ceiling with shells and enriched mouldings.
Pelmets to windows and panelled shutters. Marble chimney-piece with free standing
Ionic columns.
At first floor, the central room at the left side is of early C18; eared architrave
to the chimney-piece, with scrolled dado rails, dado panelling, modillion cornice and
6-panelled doors. Other rooms at first floor retain early C18 plain moulded cornices
and dado panelling. In the main range there is a corridor dividing the front rooms
from the rear rooms; two of the rear rooms were converted circa late C19 as
bathrooms, and retain all original bathroom fittings.
Carnanton House is a fine example of an early C18 house, remodelled over several
phases and retaining features from all periods. The original entrance front is well-
proportioned and largely intact.

Listing NGR: SW8781864629

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Carnanton House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17534878

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record