Details
ST GERMANS ST GERMANS
SX 35 NE
7/119 (17/67) Port Eliot House
21.2.51
GV I
Country house in a landscaped park. Contains a medieval core from the Priory of St
Germans; the early C18 building, largely rebuilt and refaced by John Soane 1804-6,
and with a service wing of 1829 by H. Harrison. Later C19 alterations. Rubble with
stone dressings. Slate roofs behind embattled parapets.
Plan: Entrance front to west, with the 2 parallel service wings of 1829 projecting to
front left, enclosing a small service courtyard, with a carriageway at the front. The
main house by Soane has rooms arranged in 2 ranges, with the saloon and drawing room
facing north (at the left side) with the circular drawing room by Soane to rear left;
stair hall between the entry hall and the saloon to left. Other rooms facing the
south, include the billiard room and dining room. Gothic style.
Exterior: The entrance front is of 2 storeys on plinth and 6 bays, with embattled
parapet over coved cornice. All windows paired 8-pane sashes with hood mould, first
floor string course. First floor 2 central windows have Gothic glazing bars.
Central porte-cochere is of 1829 by Harrison and has 4-centred arch and hood mould,
inner panelled double doors with moulded architrave. 4 bays to left in greenstone
coursed square rubble, 2 bays to right in sandstone. Service wing projects to left,
2 storeys and 5 bays with buttresses and embattled parapet, paired sashes with hood
moulds. Right side has polygonal tower to each end with pointed arched 12-pane
sashes. 1:3:5:3:1 bays, with central 5 bays broken forward. All windows sashes,
with cambered brick heads at ground floor, 4-centred arches at first floor. Central
French windows and French window to left. Centre bays have modillion cornice. 3
bays to right retain 12-pane sashes at ground and first floors. Low screen wall
attached to left, with pair of square plinths and wrought iron gates across, urns
over piers. 5 granite steps leading to the entrance front, with splayed wrought iron
railings to each side.
Left side has bow to left of the circular drawing room. Rendered central range of
4:3:2 bays with central bay broken forward and embattled parapet. Bow has blind 9-
pane sash at basement level, 12-pane sash at ground floor and 9-pane sash at first
floor. The central 3 bays of the centre range are in rusticated granite ashlar of
the C18 at basement, with central round-arched doorway with console keystone, round-
arched 6-pane sash to right and left with splayed glazing bars and cornice over. All
windows sashes of varied sizes. Service wing projecting to right, in 1:3:2 bays,
with sashes at basement, ground and first floors. Rear is in 3:1:2 bays; central
canted bay through 2 storeys, with 15-pane sash at ground floor with Gothic glazing
bars, first floor 9-pane sash. Sashes in bays to right and left with brick
surrounds. To right, the bow of the circular ballroom with sashes at basement,
ground and first floor.
Interior: All features of interior remain as described in sources.
The park was landscaped by Repton, Red Book dated 1793.
Sources: Hussey, C.: Country Life, October 15, 22 and 29, 1948.
Listing NGR: SX3596357791