Trenant Park

Trenant Park is a house, now divided into flats, of complex build date and development. It possibly dates to the early 17th century, was remodelled in the early 18th century, and extended in the mid-19th century. The building is constructed of rendered stone rubble with a moulded plinth and slate roof.

The main structure comprises a central range with two front projecting wings with hipped ends, a higher 19th-century range on the right with a hipped end and a gable end on the left and canted end on the right, with further outshuts to the rear. The central part of the 17th-century range probably contained a hall and parlour heated by stone rubble rear lateral chimney stacks with brick shafts incorporated into later outshuts. The left-hand cross wing, probably the kitchen range, has a gabled stone rubble projecting side lateral chimney stack with a further truncated projecting stone rubble side lateral chimney stack to the rear. The right-hand cross wing has a side lateral stone rubble chimney stack.

The plan has been substantially altered through 18th and 19th-century remodelling and 20th-century conversion to flats. The original arrangement is estimated to have been an H-shaped plan, with the central section of the main range containing a hall and parlour of equal size heated by rear lateral chimney stacks and with a central through passage. A service range in the left-hand cross wing followed a 2-room plan heated by side lateral stacks, while the parlour range in the right-hand cross wing also followed a 2-room plan and was similarly heated. The building was further extended to the rear in the late 17th century with a range behind the through passage, and was completely remodelled in the 20th century. Further extensions form a continuous outshut to the rear of the entire main range. A projecting wing on the right-hand side of the main range contains a large single room with a canted right-hand end and a small stair projection to the rear.

The central range is of two storeys with a regular 2:3:1 window front and a steeply pitched roof with a modillion cornice. It features two 12-pane early 18th-century sash windows with heavy glazing bars intact at ground level, with a partly glazed 19th-century door within a 19th-century pedimented rendered porch, and three early 18th-century 12-pane sashes above. The left-hand cross wing front has two tall 19th-century 6/9-pane sashes and two 19th-century 12-pane sashes above, with a 2-window side elevation including a 1-bay blind and a 20th-century glazed door inserted in a window opening. The right-hand cross wing front has a tall 16-pane sash on the ground floor and a 12-pane sash above, with a 20th-century glazed door inserted in a window opening of the side 2-window elevation. The rear elevation of the wing to the rear of the through passage has been completely remodelled in the 1970s or 1980s.

The 19th-century range on the right-hand side of the front elevation is of two storeys with a 3-storey extension to the rear and is considerably higher than the 17th-century range. It has a regular 2-window front with a 20th-century glazed door on the left and a 19th-century window with radiating glazing bars on the right. Two 19th-century 12-pane sashes appear on the first floor. The canted end is flanked by two 12-pane sashes either side of a central sash window with radiating glazing bars, with three 12-pane sashes above.

Interior partitions of the central range have been altered, with the higher partition of the through passage remodelled. Simple 19th-century chimney pieces are present, with 20th-century chimney pieces in the right-hand cross wing. The 19th-century range contains a drawing room with an ornate plaster cornice featuring egg and dart, key motifs and torus mouldings, decorative tin pelmets, fielded panelled shutters and a moulded doorcase. A simple 19th-century stair occupies a projection to the rear. The 17th-century rear wing extending behind the through passage was remodelled in the 1970s.

Trenant was recorded as a Domesday Manor and passed through the ownership of the families of Hewis, Colshulls, Arundells, Whittingtons, and later the Treise family. Sir Chris Treise served as Sheriff in 1760. In 1806 the property was sold to Admiral Sir Edward Buller. Sir Richard Buller subsequently installed machinery at considerable expense to force water from the vale below to the mansion. The property was later sold to William Peel, a relative of Sir Robert Peel. The house is set in a large park with much land used for grazing. The temple at Trenant Point, overlooking the entrance to Looe Harbour, now stands in ruins.

The house retains much of its 18th and 19th-century fenestration, which is especially important to the front elevation.