Description

ST GERMANS ST GERMANS
SX 35 NE
7/119 (17/67) Port Eliot House
21.2.51
GV I

Country house in a landscaped park. Contains a medieval core from the Priory of St
Germans; the early C18 building, largely rebuilt and refaced by John Soane 1804-6,
and with a service wing of 1829 by H. Harrison. Later C19 alterations. Rubble with
stone dressings. Slate roofs behind embattled parapets.
Plan: Entrance front to west, with the 2 parallel service wings of 1829 projecting to
front left, enclosing a small service courtyard, with a carriageway at the front. The
main house by Soane has rooms arranged in 2 ranges, with the saloon and drawing room
facing north (at the left side) with the circular drawing room by Soane to rear left;
stair hall between the entry hall and the saloon to left. Other rooms facing the
south, include the billiard room and dining room. Gothic style.
Exterior: The entrance front is of 2 storeys on plinth and 6 bays, with embattled
parapet over coved cornice. All windows paired 8-pane sashes with hood mould, first
floor string course. First floor 2 central windows have Gothic glazing bars.
Central porte-cochere is of 1829 by Harrison and has 4-centred arch and hood mould,
inner panelled double doors with moulded architrave. 4 bays to left in greenstone
coursed square rubble, 2 bays to right in sandstone. Service wing projects to left,
2 storeys and 5 bays with buttresses and embattled parapet, paired sashes with hood
moulds. Right side has polygonal tower to each end with pointed arched 12-pane
sashes. 1:3:5:3:1 bays, with central 5 bays broken forward. All windows sashes,
with cambered brick heads at ground floor, 4-centred arches at first floor. Central
French windows and French window to left. Centre bays have modillion cornice. 3
bays to right retain 12-pane sashes at ground and first floors. Low screen wall
attached to left, with pair of square plinths and wrought iron gates across, urns
over piers. 5 granite steps leading to the entrance front, with splayed wrought iron
railings to each side.
Left side has bow to left of the circular drawing room. Rendered central range of
4:3:2 bays with central bay broken forward and embattled parapet. Bow has blind 9-
pane sash at basement level, 12-pane sash at ground floor and 9-pane sash at first
floor. The central 3 bays of the centre range are in rusticated granite ashlar of
the C18 at basement, with central round-arched doorway with console keystone, round-
arched 6-pane sash to right and left with splayed glazing bars and cornice over. All
windows sashes of varied sizes. Service wing projecting to right, in 1:3:2 bays,
with sashes at basement, ground and first floors. Rear is in 3:1:2 bays; central
canted bay through 2 storeys, with 15-pane sash at ground floor with Gothic glazing
bars, first floor 9-pane sash. Sashes in bays to right and left with brick
surrounds. To right, the bow of the circular ballroom with sashes at basement,
ground and first floor.
Interior: All features of interior remain as described in sources.
The park was landscaped by Repton, Red Book dated 1793.
Sources: Hussey, C.: Country Life, October 15, 22 and 29, 1948.

Listing NGR: SX3596357791

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Port Eliot at Wikipedia
• Port Eliot official website
• Wikidata Q7230603

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

• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)