Holwood

Holwood is a house dating from possibly the 16th and 17th centuries, with remodeling in the early 19th century. The house is constructed of stone rubble, partly with slate hung, and has an asbestos slate roof with gable ends. It features a slightly higher roof over a projecting rear wing. The house has rendered stone rubble stacks on the left-hand gable and a large projecting rendered stone rubble stack on the right-hand gable. Further stone rubble stacks are located on the ridge, at the junction of the main range and rear wing with a ventilator above, and two rear lateral stacks on the east of the rear projecting wing, one of which has a brick shaft. The building has a general "L" shaped plan.

The main range follows a single-depth plan, containing a through passage which is now blocked at the rear. The rear wing likely has a three-room and through passage layout which has been extended to the rear on the east with a later outshut. The north front is asymmetrical, with four window openings and a door near the centre. To the left of the door are two 2-light casements without glazing bars, and a 20th-century small 2-pane window. A plank door has a fanlight above it. To the right are a straight joint between the door and a 20th-century 3-light window without glazing bars, followed by another straight joint and a 20th-century 2-light window without glazing bars. A previous listing noted a long blank wall with one casement and door featuring a chamfered lintel, but this has since changed. The first floor has two 3-light 19th-century casements with glazing bars above the ground floor openings on the left, with no first-floor windows on the right-hand side. A dormer window is situated on the left beneath a hipped slate roof, containing a 19th-century 3-light casement with glazing bars.

The rear, south-facing elevation is slate hung on the right-hand side. The ground floor has no windows on the left, with a 12-pane sash and a 1-light casement with glazing bars to the right. Above is a 20th-century window on the left. A half-gabled dormer features a 2-light casement with glazing bars in a chamfered granite surround, the lintel incorporating mitres for two mullions. A 16-pane sash is positioned to the right.

The east, slate-hung front of the rear wing has a regular four-window façade arranged over two storeys. The ground floor features three 12-pane sashes and a part-glazed door, accompanied by a 20th-century glazed conservatory with a flat roof. Above are three 16-pane sashes without horns and a 12-pane sash with horns. The rear elevation of the south wing includes a three-storied projection on the left, featuring a ground-floor window with a granite surround, chamfered cill and hoodmould. Above this opening is a 3-light casement with a 17th-century ovolo-moulded timber lintel.

The interior has not been inspected, but may contain further features of interest. The house was formerly the seat of William Bond of Earth during the reign of Charles II and was later owned by Jope, Harrison, and Admiral MacBride. Details and illustrations of the house appear in various historical records, including the SPOURE BOOK of 1698, held at the Cornwall County Record Office, and referenced in J. Polsue’s Parochial History of Cornwall and Vennings New Central Postal Directory.