Tretheague House Including Ice House, Well, Closet And Walled Garden At Rear

Tretheague House is a small country house of early 18th-century date, now listed Grade II* with its associated ice-house, well, closet and walled garden.

The main house is constructed of rusticated granite ashlar on its front elevation, with granite rubble walls elsewhere and granite and brick dressings throughout. The roof is dry Delabole slate, hipped behind an embattled parapet (the battlements themselves are 20th-century additions, though a moulded parapet cornice may have originally existed). Two tall brick chimneys rise over each side wall.

The building is of two storeys with attics over a basement. The principal front faces east-north-east and is symmetrical with five windows and a central doorway. The doorway has a Gibbs surround with original panelled doors incorporating an integral blind fanlight (now glazed). It is approached by a flight of granite steps with what are probably original wrought iron railings. The windows are mostly original 12-pane hornless sashes with wide glazing bars and much original crown glass, though one at the front is a later copy. The rear elevation contains original doors and several original windows, including a fanlight-headed stair window. The principal rear doorway is approached by a granite bridge with original wrought iron railings.

The plan is double-depth. The original arrangement remains largely intact, though a partition has been inserted to the left of the entrance to create a central entrance hall beside the former larger hall on the left, with a parlour on the right. The rear section contains a central entrance hall with a parlour to its left, stair hall to its right, and service room and stair at the far right. A basement kitchen and vaulted wine cellars are situated beneath.

The interior preserves numerous 18th-century features and is virtually unaltered since that period. The entrance hall features a fine plaster ceiling with modillions in the cornice and an Ionic doorway between it and the hall (now the front entrance hall). The stair hall contains an open-well open-string stair with three turned balusters per tread and a ramped handrail wreathed over the newel. Bolection moulding decorates the wall panels and the underside of the landing. Two panels with eared architraves and scrolled pediments are present. The plaster ceiling over the stair displays dentils and modillions in the cornice with refined Rococo detail to the central panel. The principal front parlour has fielded panelled walls, an arched niche, an 18th-century chimney-piece, and an intricate Rococo ceiling. Other rooms inspected display good-quality 18th-century features including panelled doors, architraves and chimney-pieces. The basement kitchen retains an 18th-century dresser, and the cellars feature brick barrel vaults.

Behind the house lies a walled garden with a retaining wall at its front forming a passage between the garden and the house basement. Built into the garden bank is a large ice-house with a chamfered granite doorway, granite rubble walls with some brick laid to English bond, and granite copings. Adjacent to the right-hand wall outside stands a rectangular rubble closet with a slate roof, originally cleaned by a leat. Set into the garden are two original oval granite monolithic ornamental or fish ponds.