Penquite House

Details

ST SAMPSON SX 15 NW 8/243 Penquite House - GV II

House, now youth hostel. Circa 1840, with some later alterations, including C20 alterations to the interior. Stuccoed stone rubble. Slate roofs, hipped over the ranges to sides, with gable ends to front and rear, lead rolls to hips and ridges, with rendered stacks to ridges. Plan: double depth plan, with central entrance to vestibule; principal room to right and service room to left. Central stair hall, with 2 principal rooms and one kitchen facing the garden to rear. Attached to the left side, a single storey service block built around a narrow courtyard, including former sculleries and wash house, with entrance at the left side. 2 storeys, symmetrical 5 windows front on granite plinth with deep moulded eaves. All windows are C19 12-pane sashes in plain raised architraves, with first floor cill band. Central double 3-panelled doors with overlight with decorative glazing, moulded architrave and pediment on consoles. The right side has a late C19 conservatory attached at ground floor, with 3 gable ends; inside the conservatory, 2 tall plate glass sashes giving access to the conservatory. Plate-glass sash at ground floor to right and 12-pane sash to left, all in same plain raised architraves. At first floor, cill band continued, and four 12-pane sashes in similar surrounds. The rear forms the garden front, of 5 bays, with the 3 centre bays broken forward under a pediment with oeil de boeuf. All windows 12-pane sashes except ground floor left a later plate-glass replacement; first floor cill band. The left side has first floor cill band and three 12-pane sashes at first floor. At ground floor, the service block has a pitched roof, curved around the corners, with a bellcote over the left side entrance. To the front, four 12-pane sashes with a pilaster between each; blind window on the curve of the wall; left side entrance has double 3-panelled doors with fist and wreath knocker, set in a round arch with a panelled tympanum, gable over. 12-pane sash to right and left with pilasters, gabled bellcote above with bell. Rear treated the same with sashes and pilasters. Inside the service courtyard, granite paving, and the house has a central 12-pane sash at ground floor. Service rooms have 16-pane sashes and 4-panelled doors facing the courtyard. Interior The cellars under the main stair hall are vaulted in brick with square piers with imposts. The central stair hall has a cornice with palmettes, egg and dart and bead and reel mouldings, similar cornice at first floor landing and rectangular lantern. Fine open-well stair with moulded wreathed handrail and cast iron balusters. The front entrance is to a large vestibule, with plain moulded cornice, panelled shutters and pelmet to windows. The central room on the garden front has a marble chimneypiece on the rear wall, cornice with vine leaves and bunches of grapes; windows have panelled shutters and pelmets with swags. The room to right side on the garden front has an oak leaf and acorn frieze, moulded cornice and marble Regency style chimneypiece on the inner wall; similar shutters and pelmets to windows. Room to front right has plainer moulded cornice. Most doors replaced in late C20, some panelled doors survive. Penquite was the home of John Whitehead Peard (1811-80), colonel in the Royal Army of Savoy and known as "Garibaldi's Englishman!" He joined Garibaldi's forces in 1859 and distinguished himself at the battle of Melazzo in 1860 and commanded the English legion during Garibaldi's advance on Naples. When Garibaldi made his triumphant visit to England in 1864 he insisted. on going to Cornwall to stay with Peard at Penquite. Source: F Welsh, Country Life, 20 May 1982, pp 1462, 1463.

Listing NGR: SX1181655650

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

70992

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Country Life in Country Life, (1982), 1462 1463

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.