Description

SW 73 SW CONSTANTINE

5/63 Trewardreva House

10.7.57

GV II*

Country house. 1719 remodelling of a circa 1600 house, partly demolished in circa
1860, and extended in circa 1936. Granite ashlar front, the other elevations are
granite rubble with granite dressings. Scantle slate hipped roof behind parapet, red
clay ridge tiles and some old crested ridge tiles survive. Granite ashlar axial and
end stacks with moulded caps, the axial stack to right of centre has 2 very tall hand
turned clay pots.
Plan: The existing south-facing house is the right hand (east) half of an E-shaped
plan house including its central porch. The left hand half was demolished in circa
1860. The original circa 1600 house built by Thomas Rise may not have been E-shaped
on plan. The house however, E-shaped after the 1719 remodelling and refacing by
Thomas Trewren. This 1719 house was symmetrical with shallow projecting end wings
and a 2-storey porch at the centre. In circa 1860 the left hand (west) part of the
house was demolished from but not including the central porch. This is the house as
it now stands. It is double depth, 3 rooms at the front, the porch on the left gives
directly into the left hand room, a smaller parlour at the centre and a larger
drawing room at the right end in the projecting wing; there is an axial passage
behind the front rooms with the main entrance at its left end created when the left
end of the house was demolished. At the back, there is a room to the left, a large
open-well staircase to the right of centre with a rear lobby between. There is a
small room at the right hand end of the axial passage and behind that in the angle
with the stairwell a rear service wing was added in circa 1936.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Asymmetrical 1:3:2 window south front. The left hand bay is a
2 storey porch, the right hand bay a projecting wing. The front has a parapet with a
moulded granite modillion cornice and with granite urns over the corners of the right
hand wing, and ball finials over the corners of the left hand porch. The porch also
has a vestigial gable its scrolled apex has an inverted heart and ball finial; in the
gable a moulded panel inscribed "T.Over T.A." (Thomas and Alice Trewren). The porch
has a chamfered 4-centre arch doorway with sunken spandrels and a moulded label; the
inner doorway has a moulded frame with an arched head which has been cut into for a
later square doorframe. Over the outer doorway a small shield with the Rise arms.
The windows at the front are all 12-pane sashes with thin glazing bars, only the 2 at
the centre of the ground floor and 1 to the right of the first floor are late C18,
the others were replaced in the C20 and have horns. On the first floor of the centre
3 bays there is a moulded string which may be reused from the circa 1600 house. The
small chamfered window frames on either side of the porch are also circa 1600.
The right hand (east) elevation is asymmetrical with one C18 12-pane sash on the
ground floor and 2 C20 12-pane sashes on the first floor either side of a chimney
breast with tablet inscribed "T.Over T.A. 1742". On the ground floor a glazed garden
door with granite steps. To the right the side of the circa 1936 2-storey rear wing
with a 3-bay symmetrical arrangement of 12-pane sashes and 2 hipped dormers.
The left hand (west) elevation was originally an internal wall, it now has 2 half-
hipped gables and asymmetrical fenetration of C20 12-pane sashes, to the left of
centre a panelled door with a semi-circular top light and a porch with granite
columns; to the right 2 small chamfered windows (one blocked) on the side of the
front porch.
The rear (north) elevation is asymmetrical and has four (2 on each side) early C18
24-pane sashes with thick glazing bars to the right; a doorway to the left of centre
with a rectangular overlight and a C20 glazed door; a large rectangular stair window
to the left with thick glazing bars and radiating bars at the top. To the left at the
back the projecting circa 1936 rear wing is rendered.
Interior: A very fine and almost complete interior largely the result of the 1719
remodelling. The entrance hall has a bolection moulded chimney-piece and dentilled
cornice. The room to the rear left (north west) also has a bolection moulded
chimney-piece. The central front room has fielded panelling with a cornice, the
later chimey-piece is flanked by round-headed cupboards. The drawing room has
bolection panelling with a modillion cornice and a contemporary chimney-piece with an
overmantel and flanking elliptical alcoves; and a fine moulded plaster ceiling with
Rococo motifs and an acanthus rose. The fine open-well staircase has an open string
with decorated tread ends, 3 turned balusters per tread and a moulded handrail ramped
up to fluted column newels; a Greek key frieze under the landing balustrade, and a
pilastered dado. The stair well has moulded plaster wall panels with small shells in
the corners and a moulded plaster ceiling with an oval contains an acanthus rose and
a modillion cornice. The first floor has a complete set of 6-panel doors in
shouldered doorframes. The very fine first floor chamber over the drawing room has a
coved moulded plaster ceiling with Rococo motifs and an acanthus rose in moulded rib
panels; moulded wall panels with shouldered corners and chimney-piece with a
shouldered architrave and dentilled cornice above which is a panel with an oil-
painted classical landscape. Another first floor chamber has an ogee-domed plaster
ceiling, fielded panelling and a shouldered bolection moulded chimney-piece.
Roof: Only the left hand (vest) part of the roof over the main front range was
inspected. This is probably, C18 with collars simply lapped and pegged to the faces
of the principals.
Historical note: Trewardreva was the seat of the Rises, Lords of the Manor of
Polwheveral. Thomas Rise, son of Roger Rise, built a monor house at Trewardreva in
about 1600. It passed by marriage to ThomasTrewaren of Drift in Sancreed, who in
1719 remodelled Trewardreva in the form it is today except that it is now only half
the former house; for in 1860 it was sold to a farmer Mr Hearle who demolished the
west end.
Source: Charles Henderson. A History of the Parish of Constantine in Cornwall0.
pages 73 to 81.
H Dalton Clifford. County Life. 29 V 1958. pages 1192 to 1193.

Listing NGR: SW7260930164

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17534610

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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