The East Round House

The East Round House is a round cottage dating to circa 1820. It is constructed of painted rubble and cob, with a conical thatched roof. The building has a single-room plan and two storeys. An arched entrance is located on the south side, featuring an original Gothick tympanum that is now partly blocked, and incorporating a 20th-century casement window with glazing bars. Original arched window openings with stone studded borders are present on the west side, while an old casement window is situated on the rear first floor. A bobbin-turned cross finial adorns the roof. The interior remains unexamined. It is one of five round houses built in Veryan by Hugh Rowe, a Lostwithiel builder, for the Reverend Jeremiah Trist, with the popular story suggesting one was intended for each of his five daughters. The round plan is traditionally said to have been intended to deter the Devil, but a more likely explanation is the economical use of materials.