Shire House

Shire House, located in Mount Folly Square, Bodmin, is a judges' lodging built around 1840 by Joseph Pascoe of Bodmin. The building features rusticated granite ashlar on a plinth at the ground floor, with stucco above, adorned with giant Tuscan pilasters. The corners are accentuated by paired pilasters, and there is a stepped eaves entablature. The roof is hipped with rag slate and has deep projecting eaves supported by widely spaced brackets, along with brick end and axial stacks topped with louvered clay pots.

The structure has a large square plan with a central stair hall and stands three storeys over a basement. It presents two nearly identical symmetrical fronts with five windows each, facing west and north, both featuring central doorways. The original hornless sash windows with glazing bars are present throughout, with particularly tall windows on the first floor. The west front includes a 20th-century glazed porch resting on original moulded granite steps, leading to a tripartite inner doorway with an original segmental-arched fanlight. The north front has an original overlight with margin panes above a 20th-century door, which is accessed by a 20th-century ramp on the right. The east front consists of three bays and is similarly detailed, though it has a large 20th-century ground-floor extension.

Inside, the principal rooms and stair hall feature moulded plaster ceiling cornices, some of which are concealed by false ceilings. Many rooms have central roses with acanthus leaves. The open-well staircase has an open string and Vitruvian scroll detail, with a mahogany handrail that scrolls over the newel. There are also panelled doors, window shutters, and at least two chimneypieces. Shire House is an elegant and complete example of its type and forms a group with Shire Hall.