Description

SX 15 SW FOWEY TRAFALGAR SQUARE, Fowey
(West side)
868-0/2/169
The Ship Inn
13/03/51

GV II*

Includes: Premises occupied by R Kit tow & Sons TRAFALGAR SQUARE Fowey.
Probably originally a merchant's house, later a public house. Probable C15 origins; reputed date of 1578 for John Rashleigh, extended in the C17 and C19. MATERIALS: Killas rubble to part of ground floor, Pentewan stone and freestone to original dressings, otherwise stuccoed or rendered; 3 gable ends facing the Square: steep scantle slate roof to earliest part on the left, steep dry Oelabole slate to C17 wing in the centre and corrugated asbestos to low-pitched roof of the C19 range on the right; brick end stacks to rear and to C19 range, stack over rear wall of dated chamber and another to left of C17 range. PLAN: very irregular plan on a street corner site, the earliest part, at an angle on the left, used to be joined via a 1 st-floor passage to No 1 Lostwithiel Street (qv), but this was removed in the C20 to allow taller vehicles to pass; C17 wing in the centre with C17 stair hall behind and a wide mid-late C19 range on the right with its frontage to right-hand return. EXTERIOR: 3-storeys to early part and to C19 part, the 2nd floors partly in the roof space, 2 storeys to C17 part; very irregular disposition of elevations and openings to the gable ends. First floor of left-hand return has an original 2-light mullioned window with cinquefoil-headed lights enclosing an inner C17 ovolo-moulded frame, ground floor with a wider 2-light C20 window, both with leaded glass. Gable end of early part has late C19 4-pane sash under apex of unequal gable, a similar but taller sash window to true centre and a C20 window to ground floor towards right. There is then a tapered-plan link building between the earliest part and the C17 range which has moulded hoods over pair of 2-light wooden mullioned windows with C20 casements and ground floor with a moulded hood over a wide 4-light moulded mullioned window and a doorway on its right. Immediately right of this is the 2-bay wide gable end of the C19 wing with frieze of ogee arches returned from the front eaves and the right-hand bay flanked by giant pilasters over pilasters linked by a moulded entablature. There is also a moulded string above the transomed 3-light 1 st-floor window with good coloured glass; late C 19 horned sashes above and below and to 1 st-floor left of centre and 2nd-floor far left. Right-hand 2-window-range return front has similar pilasters and strings, the 1st-floor string as heads of late C19 tripartite horned sashes framed by open segmental pediments and flanking pilasters with moulded bases; small horned sashes above with moulded buttressed architraves rising from the pediment hoods. To 1st floor centre is a pilastered and segmental-arched panel containing a, painted inn sign. Ground floor has central C20 shop window and flanking pilastered doorways with overlights and C20 doors. INTERIOR: 1st floor of left-hand wing contains fine quality panelled room which has C16 or early C17 Renaissance chimneypiece with flanking caryatids with Ionic capitals supporting a pedimented overmantle with Ionic pilasters and framing 3 carved panels, the large centre panel with a bust presumed to represent John Rashleigh; wall panelling with small moulded panels, all oak. Stair hall has fine C17 open-well oak staircase with closed string, heavy twist and turned splat balusters and ball finials over the newels. Late C17 chamber has a plaster barrel ceiling with moulded cornices which break forward around the feet of the trusses; the ends of the barrel are moulded as pediments, each containing a panel with a tree carving; below the inner pediment the wall is panelled with large moulded panels and to the left-hand side wall is a bolection-moulded chimneypiece. There are other old features visible including some door frames. Roof structures not inspected but likely to be original and those over the earlier parts may be of great interest. This is a most complicated building w1th some very important surviving features, which deserves a much more thorough investigation and recording.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Cornwall: London: 1990-: 71).

Listing NGR: SX1256151674

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17532992

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.

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