Summary
A stone-built dwelling of C18 or early-C19 date, with later alterations and additions.
Reasons for Designation
Old Farmhouse and Honey Cottage, Trefanny Hill, Duloe, Cornwall, a C18/C19 dwelling with later alterations, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the C18/ C19 building has architectural interest as a historic Cornish farming estate dwelling demonstrating the vernacular tradition of the area in much of its built form, and with interesting additional features such as a cloam oven;
* Date: most pre-1840 buildings that survive in close to their original form are listed;
* Degree of survival: the building is largely intact with the retention of much of its structure.
History
Old Farmhouse and Honey Cottage were originally a single dwelling, probably first built in the mid-to-late-C18. The building is in the small hamlet of Trefanny Hill which has a number of other buildings of a similar date and later, including adjoining cottages (not listed). In the late C19 or early C20 a central stair was inserted in the building (now in Honey Cottage). In the late-1960s/early-1970s the building was split into two residences for use as holiday lets, and a new wing built to the rear, partly across the site of a former outshut, and called Joffer’s Cottage. The three properties have since undergone alteration and refurbishment.
Details
A C18 or early-C19 dwelling, formerly a farmhouse, extended and converted to form three residences in the mid-C20.
MATERIALS: constructed of local rubble stone with timber casements. Part of the south gable wall is rebuilt in concrete block, as is most of the east wall of the C20 range (Joffer’s Cottage). The front roof is covered in slate, the rear in concrete tile. The chimney at the north end is of stone, and that to the south has a brick stack.
PLAN: a two-storey, single-depth building, rectangular on plan with a later two-storey range to the rear (east) to form a double depth plan. The building is further extended to the south-east to provide a stair and bathroom.
EXTERIOR: the elevations are mainly painted rubble stone, although the projecting chimney breast on the north flank is unpainted rubble and has a slate-roofed cloam oven. The symmetrical three-bay front has a central C19 four-panel door with a slate-covered hood supported on boxed bearers*. The ground-floor windows have segmental arches (timber lintels to the first floor) and have C19 16-pane timber sashes without horns. On the north flank a small opening has been inserted to the right of the chimney and a door under a slate hood (to Old Farmhouse) to the left. Further left there is a modern window* with a C20 bow window* above. The rear (Joffer’s Cottage*) is principally of modern construction, although the south end of the rear wall incorporates part of an earlier outshut*.
INTERIOR: the central hall passage (Honey Cottage) has a stone flag floor and timber stair of probable C19 date built into chamfered beams in the hall. There is panelling and a plain balustrade at first-floor level. The principal ground floor room has a window seat and ceiling beams. The room above has a replaced late-C19 fireplace and window seat, and both rooms have C19 doors. The stair is separated from the adjoining rooms (Old Farmhouse) by a modern partition wall. Old Farmhouse has a C18/C19 inglenook in the north end with a cloam oven, and a window seat to the front wall. The stair in this part of the building is a mid-C20 insertion. The roof of this range has five pegged C18/C19 roof trusses, regularly spaced, although the other roof timbers are modern. The rear wall is of a raised height and has been opened out on the Old Farmhouse side. Joffer’s Cottage* has no features of historic note.
* Pursuant to s.1 (5A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 ('the Act') it is declared that the modern fixtures, including Joffer’s Cottage, are not of special architectural or historic interest and are not included in the listing.
