Description

ST MELLION NEWTON FERRERS
SX 36 NW
7/210 Newton Ferrers House
21.7.51
GV I

Country house and garden terrace adjoining to the south. Circa 1685-95. Built for
Sir William Coryton. Restored in 1880s for Sir Digby Collins. Fire in 1940 gutted
west wing. Also demolished probably earlier manor house illustrated in engraving by
Edmund Prideaux. Ashlar granite and blue and grey slate stone. Moulded granite
plinth, strings and large granite quoins. Stone rubble to rear (north) elevation.
Slate roof originally with hipped ends. Roof to central range replaced with flat
roof with raised parapet. West projecting wing gutted and roof removed. East
projecting wing with hipped ends. 3 lateral stone rubble chimney stacks with moulded
caps on east elevation of east wing and rear lateral stack with moulded cap on centre
of north elevation.
House originally 'H' shape plan with further earlier range to west. Main reception
rooms on piano nobile. Entrance on east with stair leading to saloon which occupies
the 3 central bays. Here, only 1 room deep, the saloon looks onto the fine garden
terraces to the south and the enclosed garden on the north. The west wing, now
gutted, contained the dining room and secondary stairs. A smaller remodelled dining
room is now situated to the west of the saloon. In the east wing an ante room leads
to the library on the south east and a bedroom on the north east.
Reputed to be the earliest Cornish mansion of classical design without traces of
Tudor survivals. (Pevsner).
2 storeys, tall basement with attic now removed. Symmetrical 2:7:2 window south
garden front, with 2 wings projecting forward. West wing with flat dressed stone
arches to window openings. East side of wing with 2 window openings with 12-pane
sashes to basement. Piano nobile and first floor with 4 window elevation with outer
window openings blind. Central range, 7 window front. In the basement, two 6/3 pane
sashes flank the 10 moulded granite segmental steps leading up to the panelled
central double doors. Entrance flanked by granite chamfered rusticated pilasters
with tall moulded bases with decorated capitals and moulded cornice which has been
brought forward above the pilasters and in the centre. Flanked by 6 tall 12-pane
sashes with horns beneath dressed stone segmental arches. Granite cills. First
floor with seven 12-pane sashes with flat dressed stone arches and granite cills. At
eaves the dentilled cornice has been removed and a parapet added with a segmental
pediment over the 3 central bays, ramped at the ends and surmounted by ball finials.
To the east all openings in the 4 window west elevation of the east wing have been
blocked. South elevation with two 12-pane sashes to piano nobile and first floor.
Dressed stone flat arches and granite cills. Dentilled cornice.
Cast iron rainwater hopper on west wing with datestone 1815. Hoppers in juntion of
central range with west and east wings with relief of lion passant. East entrance
front with central porte-cochere enclosed in circa 1970s to form porch. 5 window
east front with dressed stone segmental arches. Directly to east, remains of square
granite piers, ball finials and square balusters which originally adorned entrance.
Rear (north) elevation originally symmetrical with 2 short projecting wings. Only
wing on north east survives. Central segmental gabled lateral stack with open
pediment in relief. Heraldic arms possibly reset on outer wall of stack on piano
nobile. Beneath hood in moulded square surround, the hatchment is well carved and
contains the arms of the De Ferrers family.
Interior Basement hall on east with bolection moulded panelling and chair rail. 2
large marbelled columns. Stair circa early C18, leading to piano nobile, open string
with carved brackets. Believed to have barley-sugar ballusters which have been
panelled over circa 1970s. Moulded rail, ramped at corners with square newel. Half-
newel and rail in relief on opposite wall repeated as dado balustrade. Moulded
doorcase to parlour with 6-panelled late C17 bolection moulded door with segmental
pediment above. Panelling to saloon removed. Heavy early C18 cornice. Double late
C17 bolection moulded doors leading onto terrace. Chimney piece replaced with
suitable late C17 bolection moulded chimney piece. Dining room remodelled. Ante
room in east wing with complete bolection moulded panelling with marbled veined ribs.
Fielded panels. Heavy late C17 cornice. 6-panelled doors leading to bedroom on
north and library on south. Bedroom with complete bolection moulded panelling with
chair rail. Fielded panels. Bathroom introduced within room. Chimney piece
renewed.
Stair to first floor circa early C18 with moulded rail, ramped at corners.
Balustrade panelled over in circa 1970s. Bedrooms and dressing rooms in east wing
complete with bolection moulded panelling. Bedrooms in central range partly
remodelled. Service rooms in basement largely remodelled.
Terrace directly to south of south garden front. Extends from corners of projecting
wings across front. Circa late C17. Bulbous granite ballusters on square bases with
square caps. Divided at intervals by square terminals with moulded cornices and ball
finials. Pair of square simple granite piers in centre with moulded cornice, curved
neck and ball finials. 6 moulded curved granite segmental steps lead down to the
lower terrace. Stone rubble relieving walls to terrace, heavily buttressed on the
east. Further terraces to the south (qv terraces to south of Newton Ferrers House)
complementing the fine south-elevation.
Newton Ferrers was the property of the Ferrers family until 1314 when Isolda,
daughter of John de Ferrers married John Coryton. The property remained in the hands
of the Coryton family until the line became extinct in 1739. The now demolished 2
storey range to the west is illustrated in an engraving by Edmund Prideaux, c1735.
(RIBA drawings collection). The existing house was probably built in the 1680s and
90s, contemporary with the stable block which contains a datestone of 1688 and the
gatepiers which were reputed to bear the datestones 1688 and 1695.
The terraces to the south were reputed to have been laid out by an "Italian". The
terraces extend southwards from the west of the old range and the east of the present
house and thus the entrance piers and segmental steps are placed asymmetrically,
leading southwards from the centre of Newton Ferrers House.
Library not inspected.
'Newton Ferrers, the seat of Mr Digby Collins'. Country Life, Jan. 9, 1940, 54-63
'Newton Ferrers, the seat of Sir Robert Abdy, B.T' Christopher Hussey, Country Life
Dec 17, Dec 24, 1938
J. Venning Vennings New Central Postal Directory 1901
N. Pevsner and E Radcliffe The Buildings of England, Cornwall, 2nd ed. 1970
National Monuments Register.

Listing NGR: SX3468165896

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17529115

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

• 
  Period property manual, victorian house manual 2 books collection set by ian rock
• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)