Nance Farmhouse

ILLOGAN CHURCHTOWN ROAD SW 64 SE (north side, off) 5/188 Churchtown 1.12.51 Nance Farmhouse

II* Dower house, now farmhouse. Earlier C18 and earlier, slightly altered. Sandstone ashlar facade, otherwise uncoursed sandstone rubble with granite quoins, scantle slate roof. Double-pile plan formed by 2 single-depth ranges of different builds, the later added to and covering most of the front of the earlier. The south front, facing into higher ground, is architecturally 2-storeyed over a basement which is actually at ground level, and a symmetrical 5-bay composition in classical style, with raised quoins; the central entrance, approached by a bridge over the basement area, has a doorway with a 6-panelled door and Gibbs surround in low relief, with a prominent keystone and a pediment, the basement has a doorway beneath the bridge and 4 square windows with replaced 4-pane sashes, the ground floor has tall 12-pane sashed windows, and the 1st floor has square 6-pane sashes (all these with thick glazing bars); and all these windows have flat-arched heads with raised pendent keystones. Hipped roof to the front range with projecting eaves, and extruded side-wall chimney stacks finished with modern brick. Lean-to addition at left end. The earlier rear range is of 2 storeys with attics, and is longer (with a 6th bay to the west); the left (eastern) half has a doorway in the 3rd bay, two 12-pane sashed windows to the left and 4 above, a reduced window to the right, inserted garage doors in the right-hand half and irregular fenestration including a small horizontal-sliding sash window beneath the eaves, and a dormer window. Interior: the front range contains an exceptionally fine C18 staircase in an open well from the basement to the 1st floor and a very unusual flying flight to the attic, with bolection moulded soffits to the steps, an open string, scrolled brackets, columnar newels, 2 twisted and turned balusters per tread, and a ramped moulded handrail; the basement has a room in the rear range (the "apostles room") with 11 painted panels of the apostles, and in the front range a wide segmental-arched fireplace at the west end and a rectangular fireplace at the east end divided to make a cloam oven; the ground floor of the front range has doorways with C18 pedimented architraves with pulvinated friezes and dentils, and a drawing room with fine contemporary decoration including a fireplace with shouldered surrround and swan-neck pedimented overmantel panel, shouldered architraves to 4 doorways (that to the right of the fireplace containing a coved cupboard with fluted sides and scalloped coving), moulded plaster cornice and rococo ceiling decoration; and a small dining room to the east decorated in similar style. History: said to have been built for a daughter of the Basset family of Tehidy, wife of John Collins, Rector of of Illogan.

Listing NGR: SW6693644321