Description

FALMOUTH

SW8032SE GROVEHILL CRESCENT
843-1/10/104 Grovehill House
23/01/73
(Formerly Listed as:
GROVE HILL
Grovehill House)

GV II

Large house. 1789 for George Croker Fox. Stucco or thin render
on ashlar, the ashlar visible to the front and to part of the
service wing; relief blocking out to the left-hand return and
rear is probably following the joints of the original stone
wall; flat keyed arches; mid-floor string; moulded parapet
cornice with modillions; asbestos slate hipped roofs where
visible; rendered stacks at rear and small stack on the left.
PLAN: deep rectangular plan with service wing at rear.
EXTERIOR: 2 storeys over basement; symmetrical 3-bay, 7-window
front with 3 windows to each bowed bay flanking entrance bay.
Late C19 2-pane horned sashes. Central tripartite porch with
square columns and moulded parapet cornice; round-arched
doorway with keyblock and plain fanlight; spandrel panels with
festoons over sidelights; tripartite doorway behind with
original 6-panel door and cobweb fanlight with festoons.
Articulated right-hand return is 1:3:1: 2 bays with triangular
modillioned pediment with spoked lunette over bays 2-4; bays
one and 2 blind, otherwise mostly original hornless sashes
with glazing bars, also to rear and left-hand return.
INTERIOR retains fine quality original and early C19 features
where inspected. Vestibule has original moulded plaster
ceiling cornice and is linked to the central stair hall by an
elliptical arch over a Venetian doorway with panelled
pilasters. Stair hall has its original cantilevered stone,
stone open-well open-string staircase with ramped mahogany
handrail over stick balusters. Midway, there is a Vitruvian
scroll frieze and at the back of the staircase is a 3-bay
Ionic colonnade, also there is a moulded ceiling cornice. In
the left-hand room (the only reception room inspected) is an
elaborate early C19 moulded and carved ceiling cornice and
band with egg and dart, acanthus, anthemion and trailing vine
detail. The c1900 tiled and iron grate is set in an Adam style
chimney-piece probably of the same date. It is likely that
there are also many features of interest in other parts of the
house.
In the garden of the house stands the enormously thick,
7m stump of a Lucombe oak, which was planted at about the time

when the house was built. A water colour painting of the tree
was made by John Childs just before it was felled in December
1983.

Listing NGR: SW8099432290

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26560138

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

• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)