Trenethick Barton Farmhouse Including Rear Courtyard and Walls and Gateway, Wendron, Cornwall

Description

SW 62 NE WENDRON

7/360 Trenethick Barton Farmhouse
including rear courtyard and walls
10.7.57 and gateway (formerly listed as
Trenethick House)

GV I

Barton farmhouse, including rear courtyard wall and gateway. Probably C16
on site of and possibly incorporating parts of older house. Built by the
Hill family, extended and remodelled in the C17, C18 and C19. Granite and
killas rubble walls with granite dressings. Steep asbestos slate roofs,
with gable ends, 3 of which have granite copings. C16 and C17 granite
ashlar axial, gable and lateral stacks. Cast-iron ogee section gutters.
Plan: Overall large slightly irregular U-shaped plan. Principal front range
has through passage towards right, fronted by 2 storey porch; large hall on
left of passage with front lateral fireplace. Stone straight flight stair
in projection at rear right-hand side of hall, approached from the passage; parlour, under cross roof on the left; probably C17 inner parlour or
buttery within small axial wing at far left, and large service room on the
right of the passage (lower end). Above the service room is a large chamber
with 2 closets at the front with a window bay between. Rear wings are
probably C16 and C17 service ranges probably on site of earlier wings. Left
-hand wing was extended or remodelled in the C18; other wing was partly
rebuilt or refaced in the C19. The first floor of the left-hand wing was
once approached by a stone stair, (now blocked in and hidden), possibly
from the rear courtyard and was therefore possibly a first floor hall or
servants hall.
Exterior: 2 storeys. Irregular 8 window south front. Principal C16 front
has gable-ended 2-storey porch right of middle; 2-bay hall front on left
of porch; gable-ended parlour front on the left and lower end front on the
right. This front has its original door and window openings with mullioned windows with hoodmoulds which survive with most of their mullions. Porch
has central 4-centred arched doorway with hoodmould and complete 3-light
window and coped gable above. Over the doorway is the Hill coat of arms.
4-centred inner doorway has original oak door. Hall front has 4-light
principal window on the left with king-mullion and other mullions removed
and 2-light window on the right with mullion removed. Two 3-light first
floor windows are approximately over the ground floor ones. The left-hand
window is complete. Parlour front has 4-light window with king-mullion
removed and complete 3-light window over. Front of lower end of house has
very wide 6-light window with central king-mullion to ground floor, and
above there are two 3-light windows flanking a 2-light window at higher
level with coped ashlar gable over. All the windows are complete. The
masonry of this part of the front is banded with alternate granite ashlar stretchers and bonding courses of rubble, and is probably later than the
rest of front, probably built forward circa late C16 or early C17. At a
later date the right-hand corner (originally an angle) was built up to
align with the windows of the front and with the return wall of the gable
end. At far left set back from the main front is a 1 window front of a
C17 wing with original, square C17 windows (no mullions); window to
ground floor is rebated for probably former shutter. Left-hand return
wall of parlour has complete probably C17 3-light window. Rear wall of
front range has: 4-light hall window; 4-centred arched through passage
doorway; narrower 4-centred doorway above (perhaps there was once a rear
porch) 2 stair windows and cellar doorway (all now within C20 axial
passage extension). Left-hand wing (east courtyard front) has: probably
C17 segmentally-arched chamfered doorway towards left; window and
blocked doorway at stair position farther left; some blocked pigeon
holes under the eaves and C18 remodelled walls on the right. Rear of left
-hand wing (west wall) has 4 window C18 front of cottage on the left and
C17 wall on the right with C17 single light round-headed window on the
first floor. In front of the right-hand side is a studwork wall (now
under later lean-to) containing a resited C17 ovolo-moulded 4-light
window with holes for central stanchions for each light. Inner courtyard
(west) front of right-hand wing has two C17 small chamfered granite
window openings approximately midway to first floor and 2 wide blocked
openings with wooden lintels on the right. These openings appear to be
the same size as the reused C17 wooden mullioned window. East front of
right-hand wing has slate hung gable on the left with 2 probably C17
chamfered openings lighting the attic; a C17 rebated window to light the
first floor; a small C17 stair window and another C17 chamfered window
to the ground floor towards the left. There are joints to infilled
corner on the left, and unaligned ground and first floor joints right of
the gable end suggest that the rear wing was rebuilt on older site in
the C17. Immediately right of the gable end is C18 2-light window with
horizontal glazing bars and leaded panes. Under the eaves towards the
right are 2 resited family crests, the Hill crest and another crest with
detail resembling a spoked wheel. At the rear of this wing is a small
C17 round-headed closet or stair window.
Interior: Largely unaltered since the C18 and retaining many C16 and C17
features. Hall has probably original coffered ceiling covered with good
C18 plasterwork. Parlour and room behind have probably C16 chamfered
and stopped axial (aligned with front range) beams. Entry chamber over
parlour and chamber over entry and part of hall have C18 plaster
cornices. Chamber over lower end has 4-centred arched granite doorways
into the closets from the window bay at the front. In the room
underneath, these closets are carried on 2 chamfered granite piers.
Behind the lower end rooms is a circa late C17 stair with heavy turned
balusters to the lower flight. There are several C18 panelled doors. C16
or C17 chamfered fireplaces to the hall (front wall); chamber over the
entry (rear wall); and over the parlour (possibly there are others
blocked in or in rooms not inspected) Oak roof structure over the hall
and over the lower end is C16 with chamfers under the lower parts of the
truss, blades and under the cranked collar. There are sockets for
threaded purlins and one original purlin insitu (over the hall). The
trusses over the hall have curved feet and there is no trace of smoke-
blackening. Other roof structures not inspected. There is a probably C16 shouldered-headed oak doorway between the front and second first floor
rooms of the left-hand rear wing. Trenethick was held by the Seneshalls
in the Norman period. A member of his family, Walter Seneshall was M.P,
for Helston in 1377. Their arms were adopted by the Hill family who were
assigned Trenethick in 1392. This family sometimes adopted Trenethick as
their family name.
Sources: The Cornishman's House, by V.M. and F.J. Chesher; Around
Helston in the Old Days, by A.S. Oates.

Listing NGR: SW6683229107

External Links

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