Basil Manor

A large house of probable early 16th-century date, remodelled and extended in the late 16th and 17th centuries, then restored and partly rebuilt around the 1870s to 1880s by the architect J.P. St Aubyn. The building is constructed of stone rubble, some roughly coursed and dressed, with sections showing a moulded granite plinth. The 19th-century rebuilding used snecked stone. The roofs are covered in scantle slates with gable ends. Stone ashlar and granite stacks, rebuilt around the 17th century, are positioned axially and at the ends.

Plan and Development

The house follows a courtyard plan. The front range contains a gatehouse with a wide passage positioned directly opposite the main entrance to the house. The main range on the west side originally had what was probably a through passage, now blocked at the rear. This passage has a thin reset partition on the higher (right-hand) side and a thick wall containing a flue on the lower side.

To the right of the passage lies the hall, heated by a rear lateral stack. A thick cross wall divides the hall from a small unheated inner room beyond, this wall continuing up to the first-floor ceiling. A single-room 17th-century wing projects to the front of the inner room, heated by an end stack, while a second probably 17th-century wing extends to the rear of the inner room with a side lateral stack. A third wing of around the 17th century was added at the end to the right of the inner room. This wing now contains a reset staircase, though the position of the mullion window in the end wall suggests it was originally intended as a stair wing—an unusual location for such a feature.

Below the passage to the left, the partitions have been altered and the exact original arrangement is uncertain. Two rooms occupy the lower side, followed by a two-room wing extending to the front left, these two rooms sharing a central axial stack. A 19th-century semi-circular stair turret projects into the courtyard. Both this turret and the front wall facing the courtyard were rebuilt or refaced by J.P. St Aubyn around the 1870s to 1880s. However, the rear wall facing the garden is much earlier, despite showing several straight joints, suggesting this wing probably has 17th-century origins.

Across the front runs the gatehouse range, with a wide passage positioned right of centre and several other ground-floor entrances on both the front elevation and within the passage itself. A straight-flight stone stair to the left of the passage provides access to the first floor.

The house was partly refenestrated and re-roofed by J.P. St Aubyn, with several partitions altered in both the late 19th and 20th centuries. Nevertheless, medieval origins are apparent, with two early 16th-century trusses surviving over the lower end of the hall. While the truss over the passage partition appears fairly clean, the next truss on the higher side shows patches of smoke-blackening, indicating the hall was probably open to the roof and heated by an open hearth. The roof structure over the higher side of the hall, the inner room, and the 17th-century wings to front and rear of the inner room was replaced in the late 19th century. The roof structure over the putative stair wing dates to the early 17th century, while the roof over the lower end is again 19th-century.

Exterior

The building stands two storeys high with asymmetrical elevations on all faces. The front (east-facing) elevation of the gatehouse presents a four-window front. A wide four-centred granite arch with rounded stops sits right of centre. To the left are three four-centred chamfered and hollow-chamfered arches with stepped and diagonal stops. The first floor has two 20th-century two-light mullion windows to the left and two 17th-century two-light mullion windows to the right. Several rows of pigeon holes appear near the centre. Straight joints are visible towards the left-hand end and between the gatehouse and the lower right-hand range, though the latter probably results from rebuilding rather than extension. A low battlemented range extends to the left. The coat of arms on the gatehouse was reset by previous owners in the mid-20th century, and its original location is uncertain.

Within the courtyard, the east elevation of the house was partly refenestrated by J.P. St Aubyn. A four-centred arch with hollow chamfer and roll mould sits left of centre, with two 19th-century windows to the left and a 19th-century six-light window plus a late 16th-century six-light window (partly restored in the 19th century) to the right. These two six-light windows share a similar style with segmental-headed hollow-chamfered arches to the lights. The first floor features a 19th-century two-light mullion window to the left and two late 16th-century three-light mullion windows to the right.

Returning to the front right, the 17th-century wing has a 19th-century six-light mullion window of similar design to the hall windows and a 19th-century three-light mullion window on the first floor. The moulded granite plinth of the main range does not continue along the front wall of this 17th-century wing, the front wall appearing to have been partly rebuilt.

To the left of the main range, the north elevation of the wing at front left was refaced or rebuilt by J.P. St Aubyn. It features a two-storey semi-circular stair tower with conical roof right of centre, a 19th-century six-light mullion window to the left, and a 19th-century plank door to the right. The west elevation of the gatehouse range has a four-centred granite arch left of centre with hollow-chamfered and roll-moulded frame and carved spandrels. Connecting the gatehouse with the wing to the front right of the main range is a stone rubble garden wall with a 19th-century cast-iron gate.

The west elevation of the main range has 17th-century fenestration partly renewed in the 19th century, and the south elevation was considerably altered in the late 19th century with large granite mullion windows inserted and gabled half-dormers above.

Interior

The gatehouse has a straight flight of stone steps rising to the first floor. At the top of the steps, both left and right, are square-headed chamfered granite doorframes. 20th-century partitions have been inserted on the first floor. The roof structure was only partly accessible; the structure to the left of the stair is 18th-century with partly halved, lap-jointed and pegged and nailed apices and collars.

The main range contains a wide passage with a reset screen, inserted by previous owners in the mid-20th century replacing an earlier glazed screen. The screen has 19th-century panelling on the lower left-hand face and 17th-century panelling facing the hall. Both hall and passage feature multiple moulded cross beams (with roll mould flanking ogee mould) supported on granite corbels. These beams joint into a continuous wall plate with similar carved moulding that continues around the hall and passage, forming a framed ceiling. The hall fireplace is 19th-century. 17th-century panelling has been reset on the higher partition between hall and inner room. The inner room has very slightly chamfered beams with straight-cut stops. The cross wall between the inner room and front wing has been removed, and the fireplace in the latter has been blocked with the ceiling plastered.

The stair wing contains a probably 19th-century stair reset by previous owners in the mid-20th century. The stair is of grand early 18th-century style with open string, square newels with ornate finials, and turned and barley-sugar twisted balusters. It is possible the treads and part of the stair may be earlier. In the wing on the front left of the main range, the fireplaces are unmoulded with granite lintels probably of 19th-century date. The 19th-century stair in the turret has a central newel but follows a dog-leg arrangement, with deep moulded rail and stick balusters. The closed tread has a carved panel possibly of 17th-century date that has been reused.

On the first floor the partitions have been altered. A granite four-centred chamfered arch stands above the partition between the hall and inner room.

The roof structure over the room directly below the passage, over the higher end of the hall, the inner room, and over the wings to front and rear of the inner room was replaced probably in 1882 (a short note written on one of the trusses is dated to that year). Above the lower end of the hall and the partition between hall and passage are two trusses with morticed apices, morticed cambered collars, and holes for two tiers of threaded purlins. Hanging from the centre of the collars is a pair of teardrop-shaped flat pendants with an incised triangle directly above. This unusual carving is worked from the same piece of wood as the collar and was not applied separately. The higher truss shows patches of blackening and soot on the blade and collar, with more uniform sooting on the underside of the truss. The roof structure above the stair wing has four trusses with morticed apices and halved, dovetailed and single-notched lap-jointed collars. The roof structure above the front left-hand wing was not inspected.

Historical Context

Peter Trevillyan had two parlours at Basil in 1608, suggesting the house was already substantial in the early 17th century. John Trevillyna was taxed for eleven hearths in 1664, further confirming the size of the establishment.