The Vicarage

The Vicarage is a house dating from circa 1861, with subsequent extensions and alterations made shortly afterward. It was funded by W.H. Smith. The house is constructed of granite rubble with granite dressings. It has steep dry Delabole slate roofs, with a central valley between the front and rear roofs and cross wing roofs at a higher level at either end. Weathered granite chimneys are present with tall brick shafts extending above the cross walls.

The plan is deliberately irregular, designed to appear as if it has evolved over time. The layout includes four rooms wide and two rooms deep, with three principal rooms on the right-hand side of the front, and another reception room behind the right-hand room. The main entrance and part of the staircase are located in an outshut projection at the rear, situated in the angle between the right-hand cross wing projection and the rear range. The left-hand side of the house, with a cross wing heightened circa late 19th century in the same style, likely provided service rooms and servants' quarters, alongside a rear entrance stair.

The south-west garden front has a 1:2:1 bay arrangement. The two middle bays feature gabled, half-dormered first-floor windows, with French windows below. The left-hand side of the house is taller and gabled, with two and a half storeys and an attic; a ground-floor window was later inserted into the older ground floor section. The right-hand bay has a half-hipped end of a cross wing, with ground and first-floor windows, the ground floor window being to the left of the centre. The right-hand French window retains its original design, featuring a central glazed door and sidelights. This door and the principal windows of the garden front, the right-hand side, and the rear are similarly detailed. Most windows are 3-light casements with 3-sided arched heads and slender wooden mullions. Ground floor openings have relieving arches, and the verges have slate bargeboards.

The entrance elevation features a 1:2:2:1 bay arrangement: featuring a cross wing projecting to the left, a porch and an integral stair tower in the angle to the right of the left-hand cross wing, two set-back windows to the right of centre and the taller service cross wing gable end slightly projecting to the right. The principal doorway, in the second bay, is moulded with a shallow 2-centred arch and a hoodmould. The servants' doorway has a similar arch but is narrower and chamfered. The principal stair window (third bay) is the largest window in the house. This 3-light window, and the 2-light stair window over the servants' doorway are transommed, with the other windows designed similarly.

The interior was partly inspected, revealing the survival of the original stair and principal architectural features. It is a substantial Victorian house, virtually unaltered, and constructed of attractive local materials.