Bosvarren House

Bosvarren House

A house dating from the mid to late 18th century, with a rear wing added in the early to mid 19th century. The building is constructed of granite rubble with a granite ashlar front, the left side hung with scantle slates. The roof is covered with asbestos slate tiles and hipped, with red clay tile accents. Brick stacks with rendered shafts and clay pots are set into the side walls, and a further brick stack rises above the front gable of the rear wing.

The house follows a double-depth plan. The ground floor, which sits on a piano nobile above the basement, contains two principal front rooms separated by an entrance hall with a dog-leg staircase at the rear. An arch in the rear wall of the right-hand room gives access to a smaller room behind. The fourth ground floor room is positioned behind the left-hand room. Services were originally housed in the basement, but in the early to mid 19th century a single-storey kitchen wing with basement was constructed to the rear right.

The exterior presents two storeys above a basement. The symmetrical five-bay front is punctuated by closely spaced late 18th or early 19th century 12-pane sashes set within cambered brick arch openings with keystones and granite cills. The basement level features smaller 6-pane sashes to either side of a central granite flight of steps with wrought iron balustrades, which rises to the piano nobile entrance. This doorway has a round head, a plain semi-circular fanlight, and an original 6-panel door. The side elevations are blind.

The rear elevation is nearly symmetrical, with a large 28-pane stair sash flanked by 16-pane sashes on both ground and first floors. The basement level has 12-pane sashes either side of a basement doorway fitted with a panelled door. Immediately to the right of the stair window stands a smaller fixed 6-pane light, which was originally the back doorway. All rear windows are original sashes in openings with granite lintels and cills. The rear wing, which is single-storey over a basement, has an inner face with original 12-pane sashes on either side of a central doorway with a plank door approached by a granite flight of steps. A basement doorway to the left is also fitted with a plank door. A basement area extends around the whole house except under the rear wing, with granite paving and dressed granite coping to the retaining wall.

Internally, most original joinery survives, including mahogany panelled doors with brass locks and drop handles. The front right-hand room features a moulded cornice, dado rail, and an 18th century chimney-piece with an eared architrave and dentilled cornice. A moulded ogee arch leads to the small room beyond, which has glazed china cupboards on either side with diamond panes and diagonal glazing bars. The front left-hand room contains a small 19th century chimney-piece flanked by glazed china cupboards with diagonal pattern glazing bars, a moulded ceiling cornice, and dado rail. The rear left-hand room has a late 19th century chimney-piece in classical style. The entrance, with its moulded ceiling cornice, leads to a simple dog-leg staircase with a moulded string, stick balusters, and square newels with caps. The first floor rooms were not inspected. The basement has cobbled and granite flag floors, and the kitchen at the rear left of the basement retains a fireplace with brick arch.

According to Charles S. Gilbert's Survey of Cornwall of 1820, Bosvarren House was at that time the seat of Mrs Boulderson. The earlier Bosvarren Farmhouse is situated nearby.