Tregawn

Farmhouse, Michaelstow, circa 15th century with substantial remodelling in the late 16th century.

The building is constructed of stone rubble with granite quoins. The front wall on the left side has been partly rebuilt above first-floor level, and the left-hand side wall has been partly rebuilt with fine-quality masonry towards the front, comprising ashlar granite with slate galetting. The slate roof features hipped ends on the left and a gable end on the right, continued in a catslide roof over a rear outshot. The rear wing has a hipped end and a lower slate roof with a hipped end to an extension on the right. The chimney stacks include a reduced granite moulded stack, circa late 16th or early 17th century, with a 20th-century brick shaft in the right-hand gable end, a brick stack on the left-hand hipped end, a tall moulded granite rear lateral stack to the hall (circa late 16th or early 17th century), a brick stack to the rear outshot, and a stone rubble and brick side lateral stack to the rear wing.

The house comprises a two-room plan with a wide passage. The larger right-hand room is heated by a rear lateral stack, and the smaller left-hand room is heated by an end stack. A two-storey rear wing to the rear of the passage is heated by a side lateral stack. A one-room extension on the right is heated by an end stack, with later, circa 18th-century, outshots across the rear elevation containing service rooms. The original plan's development is not entirely clear due to limited evidence.

The rear wing contains two circa 15th-century trusses which may be smoke-blackened. The end truss on the rear (north-east) has its principals and collar incised with carpenters' marks "1 1 1 1". The passage screen has been replaced circa early to mid 19th century. The bressummer above is chamfered with the stops buried. A heavy timber, circa 17th-century, framed partition sits above. The hall roof structure was replaced circa early 18th century and then partly renewed in the early 19th century. Several joists with multiple mouldings have been reused in the attic of the rear wing; these may either be moulded purlins of a high-quality roof (now gone) or alternatively may have been moulded floor joists to the first floor. A thick wall on the lower side of the passage continues up to the apex, probably indicating the addition of the left-hand room. In the right-hand gable end of the main range is a blocked 17th-century timber door frame to the side of the first-floor fireplace; this may either indicate that the house continued to the right and that the one-room extension on the right-hand gable end occupies the site of an earlier inner room, or alternatively a blocked turreted stair may be positioned in the gable end.

The exterior is two storeys with a regular four-window front. Ground-floor openings have segmental dressed stone arches. There is a 20th-century glazed door, a wide 19th-century six-panel door with a fanlight with glazing bars to the left of centre, and two tall early to mid 19th-century hornless 12-pane sashes to the right. The first floor has four early to mid 19th-century hornless 12-pane sashes. The lower range to the right has glazed double doors and a horned 12-pane sash to the right. The rear wing has an ovolo-moulded timber lintel above the ground-floor window. The outshot to the rear of the hall has a two-light granite mullion window surround, with the mullion removed.

The interior features slate and granite flag floors. The wide passage contains a 19th-century open-string stair inserted on the higher side. The screen has been replaced with a circa late 18th or early 19th-century timber screen with scratch-moulded stiles. The hall fireplace in the rear lateral stack has a hollow chamfered granite lintel and jambs. The rear wing, heated by a side lateral stack, has a fireplace partly remodelled in the late 20th century with at least one cloam oven. The first floor contains a chamfered timber 17th-century door frame to a blocked opening adjoining the fireplace in the right-hand gable end. In the extension on the right, there is a hollow chamfered granite surround to the fireplace.

The roof structure of the rear wing comprises two circa 15th-century trusses with slight patchy evidence of smoke-blackening. The principals, which have pronounced curved feet forming raised cruck trusses, are morticed at the apices and apparently originally without a ridge piece, although later timbers conceal the original structure. The high cranked unmoulded collars are morticed and pegged with four pegs. The two sets of purlins (now replaced) appear to have been deeply trenched. Several multiple-moulded joists are reused on the attic floor of this rear wing. The roof structure above the left-hand room is largely inaccessible but appears to have been replaced in the late 18th century. Above the hall are two circa late 17th or early 18th-century trusses which are halved, lapped and pegged at the apices with collars lapped onto the face of the principals. Other trusses have been replaced circa early 19th century. Above the passage the attic floor joists are closely spaced and unmoulded, supported by the thick wall above the lower side of the passage and a tie-beam above the higher side.