Chenhale Farmhouse

Chenhale Farmhouse is a 17th-century farmhouse constructed from shale rubble and cob, partly lime washed, with slate sills and wooden lintels. The roof is made of scantle slate, although the front has been replaced with asbestos slate. The eaves were heightened in the 19th century, and the building likely had thatch originally. It features cast iron ogee gutters and has an L-shaped plan with three rooms in the main range and an unheated service wing at right angles at the rear. The front range likely consists of two original rooms with a central cross passage, with the hall/kitchen located at the lower end on the left. In the early 19th century, the current front window openings were probably cut, and the original front wall became the rear. The layout was also modified to create a small service room between the kitchen and the parlour, with an axial passage behind. This plan arrangement is seen in several 18th and early 19th-century farmhouses in Cornwall.

The farmhouse is two storeys high with an irregular four-window south front featuring 20th-century windows. The doorway, which has a four-panel door with the top panels later glazed, is off-centre towards the left and is accompanied by a glazed porch with brick plinth walls. The rear of the building is less altered, though some original window openings are blocked, and it has a central doorway with an old ledged door. The gable-ended service wing on the right side was likely used as a dairy or pantry, with a cider loft above accessed by external stone steps at the gable end. The interior has seen little alteration since the 19th century, featuring an enormous hearth in the kitchen and one surviving 17th-century oak ceiling beam with straight chamfers and stops. While the front has undergone some changes, the rear elevation retains considerable charm and interest.