Description

LISKEARD

SX2564 BARRAS STREET
979-1/5/29 (East side)
23/09/50 Stuart House

GV II*

House. Late medieval, remodelled and extended in the C17,
slightly altered mid C19. Slatehanging on masonry and on
studwork to 2nd-floor left of front and at rear of original
range, C19 stucco stripped from right-hand return elevation to
reveal rubble walls, otherwise rubble walls to C17 wings; dry
Delabole slate roofs; brick chimney over external lateral
stack at rear left, brick chimney over gable end on right and
gable stacks to rear wings reduced to roof level.
PLAN: original 2-room and through-passage range at the front
with approx 1m thick outside walls: hall on the left, lower
end on the right. C17 porch fronting passage; mid C18 stair
hall to right of porch, possibly in space of former C17 stair
hall which probably replaced a C16 newel stair at its rear;
masonry wall to either side of stair hall; pair of attached
3-storey wings added to rear of lower end in the C17 and
possibly there were other extensions at the higher end, since
removed.
3 storeys; irregular 4-window front range. 3-storey
gable-ended C17 porch, left of centre with reused C15 moulded
granite doorway with its 2-centred former equilateral-arched
head reset in squat position; C19 wrought-iron gate; original
2-centred arched doorway similar to porch doorway, but
undisturbed, fronts through-passage within porch and fitted
with early C19 panelled door, 2 mid-C19 12-pane hornless
sashes over doorway, 2 similar sashes to 2nd floor left of
porch, 2 more to stair hall, right of porch and another to 1st
floor right; C17 chamfered granite single light to cellar
under stairs and 2 similar windows to 2nd-floor return walls
of porch; late C18 tripartite sash to middle of wall to 1st
floor left over early C20 three-light transomed casement with
some coloured glass and similar but wider window to ground
floor right.
Rear of main range has 2 mid C19 12-pane sashes to 1st floor
and another to 2nd floor left. Ground floor has full-width
early C20 conservatory with wide, early C20 glazed doorway
with glazed panelled door and round-arched overlight all with
some coloured glass; right of chimney breast is doorway cut
through former window opening which retains chamfered granite
jambs and head. Rear wing adjacent to passage has remains of
mullioned window to 1st and 2nd floor both to side wall and
gable end including complete 2-light window with late C18 or
early C19 casements to 2nd floor. Other wing has remains of
where there used to be another wing beyond with former doorway
blocked and blocked C17 window over.
INTERIOR retains visible features and structure from many
phases of its development and there are probably some C16 or
earlier further features hidden. The only visible C16 feature
is a reused fragment of morticed collar roof structure built
into C17 heightened gable end on the right. C17 features
include: panelled door between stair hall and lower end room
(1 step down); floor structures for much of the house, canted
cupboard remaining from former stair turret in rear right-hand
wing within thickness of original rear wall, chamfered granite
fireplace to 1st-floor roof of the same wing and chamfered
roof structure with halved and lapped dovetail jointed collars
to other rear wing and porch and vestiges of roof structure
over lower end.
C18 features include: open-well open-string stair with
column-over-vase turned balusters, ramped mahogany handrail
scrolled over newel and shaped tread ends with guttae, moulded
plaster ceiling cornices to hall, the room above and stair
hall, plaster coved ceiling to 2nd floor of rear right-hand
wing; chimneypiece and cast-iron grate to left-hand wing;
elliptically-headed doorway with fanlight to right of passage;
and many 2-panel doors with raised-and-fielded panels.
C19 features include many chimneypieces, most with hob grates,
and a panelled door with Perpendicular-style tracery. Charles
I is said to have slept here for 9 nights in 1644 (plaque). A
well-preserved and important example of an early Cornish town
house.

Listing NGR: SX2512464499

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17532739

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

• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)