Trewornan Including Wall To Rear Of Courtyard

Trewornan is the remains of a large manor house with an associated courtyard wall. It dates from the early 17th century, though it may have earlier origins, and has been substantially altered and partly demolished.

The building is constructed of stone rubble, with slate hanging on the front elevation, beneath a steeply pitched slate roof. The roof structure comprises hipped ends and gabled sections: a hipped end on the left, a cross wing to the right with hipped front and gable rear, a hipped wing to the right, and a rear wing to the right with gable ends. The chimneys are numerous: projecting stone rubble stacks with brick shafts on the left hipped end; a side lateral stack heating the front room of the cross wing; an end stack heating the right wing; a rear lateral stack with diagonally set rendered shafts heating the central room of the left range; a brick stack on the rear gable end of the cross wing; and stone rubble and brick axial and end stacks to the rear wing on the right.

A late 17th-century painting of the house shows the extensive original south range before demolition. The illustrated south front comprised a central two-storey porch with two hipped or gabled wings to either side and a further wing beyond on the right. The existing house likely comprises the right-hand side of this illustrated range, though it has been considerably remodelled in the 19th century and its original plan is uncertain. The west half was demolished around the 18th century, leaving only a low garden wall.

The existing plan comprises a south front with a left (west) range and a cross wing on the right. The left range has a two-room, single-depth plan, with the right room heated by a rear lateral stack and the left room, possibly positioned behind the earlier porch, heated by an end stack. The front room of the cross wing is heated by a side lateral stack and contains a circa 17th-century stair to the north; the rear room is heated by a gable end stack. Set back on the right of the cross wing is a further single-room range heated by an end stack, and behind it a two-room range heated by axial and end stacks. The chronology of this rear wing is uncertain; it may predate the south range, though straight joints and blocked openings indicate considerable alteration.

The house is two storeys. The fenestration is complete early 19th-century work with crown glass and hornless sashes. The south front features a regular 2:1:1 window pattern with triple sashes and 12-pane sashes in the left range, triple sashes in the hipped end of the cross wing, and an early 20th-century part-glazed door and 4-over-8-pane sashes in the right wing. A 24-pane sash stair window sits on the right side of the cross wing. The rear right wing has 19th-century casements and sashes. The rear elevation has 19th-century sashes and two-centred arched openings with intersecting glazing bars in the gable end of the cross wing.

Interior alterations occurred around the 19th century, including new chimney pieces and doorcases. The cross wing contains a fine circa 17th-century oak dogleg stair with a closed string, moulded rail, turned balusters, and turned newels. The roof structure dates to the early to mid 17th century, with principals having straight feet morticed at the apices. Several collars are notched on their top face in dovetail form and lap-jointed onto the face of the principals. Full interior inspection is not accessible.

Around the 18th or 19th century, a service range was added or rebuilt to the rear of the left range, and the rear gable end of the cross wing was rebuilt. A stone rubble curtain wall encloses a courtyard to the rear of the house; a circa 16th-century 4-centred chamfered granite arch with diabolo stops is reset in the centre.

Historically, Trewornan is first recorded in 1211. In the time of James I it belonged to Thomas Clifford, and later to the Roe family, who have a memorial in St Minver church.