Worthyvale Manor and Garden Wall to Front, Forrabury and Minster, Cornwall

Description

FORRABURY AND
SX 18 NW MINSTER

5/14 Worthyvale Manor and garden wall
- to front
19.1.52
GV II*
Manor house, now private house and garden wall to front. Circa early C17, possibly
extended in mid C17 and partly remodelled in C18. Built for the Worthyvale family.
Slate stone rubble. Rag slate roof with gable ends, continued over two-storey outshot
to rear. Circa C17 stone rubble chimney stack with moulded cap on left hand gable
end; smaller C17 stone rubble axial stack backing onto lower side of passage heating
chamber above hall and passage; stone rubble axial stack, originally end stack,
heating hall on right; stone rubble stack on right hand gable end. Rear wing on
right with slate roof and brick end stack.
The original plan is uncertain but it was probably a larger house of which the
present house is only a part with later additions. As it stands it is a long range
of 3 rooms with a through passage: the lower room to the left is the parlour with a
gable end stack and to the right of the passage there is a long hall with a large
fireplace across the entire width of the higher end. The third room at the higher
end appears to be an addition of the C18 or a replacement of a former wing. There
is an C18 wing behind this higher end room. Across the complete length of the rear
of the house there are shallow service rooms in an outshot, which at the lower end
appears to be a different build than the rest of the outshot and may be part of a
remodelled or reduced lower end service wing; the outshot at the rear of the higher
end was probably built at the same time in the C18 as the room at the higher end.
2 storeys. Asymmetrical seven window front with straight joints to left of entrance
and to right of central hall. Ground floor with two C19 16-pane sashes in dressed
stone segmental arches lighting parlour on left. Entrance with 4-centred granite arch
with straight cut stops and C20 glazed outer door. High quality oak door within
constructed of three vertical planks with chamfered ledges and unusual framing on
front comprising ovolo moulded surround and two fluted pilasters. Central peep hole
(blocked) and initials and date 'H B 1703' (Boscawen family). To right, the hall was
originally lit by three 2-light mullion windows, the lintels surviving and the
windows replaced by three C19 16-pane sashes. Dripstone with labels above. To far
right C19 16-pane sash. First floor with 7 C19 12-pane sashes.
Rear elevation; 2 storeys with C19 casements and C19 stair window with margin glazing
bars. Blocked door on higher side of hall. Rear service wing with C19 3-light
casement.
Interior wide passage with two 3-centred granite chamfered arched entrances to hall
and parlour. Fine quality circa C17 oak door to hall, similar in pattern to entrance
door. Large granite hall fireplace measuring over 11 foot inside frame, chamfered
granite lintel and jambs with pyramid stops. C20 pier inserted providing additional
support for lintel. Cloam over on left with granite lintel and clay door; further
cloam oven to rear and creamery on right, constructed of slate stones with circular
hole in top for basin and small opening for grate below. Base of rear wall of
fireplace constructed of slate stones in herringbone pattern with stepped pentan of
horizontally and vertically coursed slates; the slate construction is of particularly
fine quality. Parlour firplace has chamfered granite lintel and jambs with pyramid
stops. The unmoulded ceiling beams above the parlour, passage and hall are fairly
slight, roughly cut and closely spaced either suggesting a later C18 date and/or that
the ground floor ceilings were plastered. Stone sink in outshot to rear of hall with
granite lip to drain on exterior wall with second lip towards centre of elevation on
rear. Fireplace in right hand rear wing; granite jambs possibly comprising reused
hood mould, cloam oven with clay door.
Circa C17 framed stair to rear of passage remodelled in C19 with treads partly
replaced and remains of circa C18 panelling. Chamber above hall; C17 granite
fireplace with chamfered lintel and jambs with pyramid stops; pentan to rear. Circa
C17 oak frame to blocked door opening adjoining; chamfered lintel with mason's mitre
and chamfered jambs with stepped ogee stops. Several C18 2-panel doors on first
floor.
Roof structure above hall and parlour largely replaced in circa mid C19 with bolted
collar rafter roof continuing over rear outshot. Some circa C18 roof timbers
possibly reused. Roof structure above right-hand room and rear right wing not
inspected.
Stone rubble garden to walls to front; mounting block on left and front wall with
reused granite lintels and mullions forming coping. Niches in right hand wall,
possibly bee boles.
Property of the Worthyvale family from the C14 to the C17. In 1664 Christopher
Worthyvale died with personal effects worth over £1,100, most of this money lent on
bond with a few simple goods and chattels and a collection of 37 books (Chesher, see
inventory CCRO). Purchased by Boscawens and later Viscounts Falmouth.

Chesher, V.M and F.J The Cornishman's House 1968.

Listing NGR: SX1077086017

External Links

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