Bosvigo House

Bosvigo House is a small country house in an irregular inverted H-shaped plan, originating from the early to mid 18th century or possibly earlier. The house has undergone successive phases of extension and remodelling: around 1780 cross wings were added to either side of the original T-shaped core, with both wings deepened probably very slightly later or in the early 19th century. In the late 18th century, a two-room-plan house formerly known as Bosvigo Vean, with an adjoining carriage house, was added at the rear right-hand corner. Further substantial alterations occurred in the late 19th century, when the cross passage between the original rear wing and left-hand rear wing, and the axial passage between the two right-hand wings, were roofed over. At this time a large stair hall incorporating part of the original right-hand room was fitted, the left-hand wing was remodelled as a probable ballroom to first floor level, and the original rear wing was heightened.

The exterior is constructed of local rubble with granite dressings, with slate-hanging to the front end of the rear right wing and stucco to the centre of the front. The roofs are of asbestos slate on a hipped form with projecting eaves, and there are brick lateral and axial stacks.

The front elevation is nearly symmetrical over two storeys, with seven windows overall. The original three-window front with central doorway is flanked by slightly projecting two-window-front wings. The central doorway contains a glazed door within panelled reveals that fold as outer shutters, with a doorcase fitted with 18th-century pilasters and early 19th-century moulded architrave. The whole is set within a freestone distyle Tuscan open porch with moulded entablature. Above this is a tall early 19th-century elliptically headed sash window within a recessed panel, flanked by tripartite sashes of similar date. All have glazing bars and are fitted with Regency Gothic tracery added at a slightly later date. The left-hand wing displays tall mid 19th-century sashes with glazing bars over later 18th-century sashes with thick glazing bars. The right-hand wing has late 18th or early 19th-century sashes with slightly thick glazing bars over early 19th-century sashes with thin glazing bars. Much crown glass and other old glass survives throughout.

The rear of the original wing contains one early or mid 18th-century sash with very thick glazing bars to the first floor on the right, and the rear also features other old windows including two early 19th-century sashes with very thin glazing bars and meeting rails to the left-hand wing. The extreme rear wing, which faces right, has an overall frontage of four windows. The right side contains the coach house, with a 1:1:1-bay house to its left featuring a central doorway in a recessed bay with a six-panel door and round-arched doorcase with open pediment (sourced from the now demolished No 56 Fairmantle Street). The coach house is lit by a 20th-century twelve-pane sash window; the house otherwise has 20th-century tripartite sashes with glazing bars, all those of the house set beneath shallow segmental arches with projecting keyblocks.

The interior retains 18th-century chimney-pieces in the principal rooms except the ground floor left of the original house and in another within the two-room-plan former house. The first-floor room of the original rear wing retains 18th-century dado panelling and a 18th-century casement window now used as a borrowed light. There are some 18th-century doors and interesting 19th-century features including Gothic-style fittings to the front left-hand room and plasterwork to the ballroom. The stair hall contains a mid 19th-century stair with turned balusters and a moulded ceiling cornice with an elliptical arch to a plaster vault over the landing. The rear left-hand wing contains brick vaulted wine racks.