Lawncliffe And Sun House

LAWNCLIFF AND SUN HOUSE

Lawncliff and Sun House, located at St Peter's Road in Flushing, comprises a substantial residential building of early 19th-century origins that was substantially remodelled in the mid-19th century, with subsequent minor alterations and later division into two separate dwellings.

The building is constructed of painted shale rubble with stucco dressings. The north-west wing, now known as Sun House, is fully stuccoed and lined out. The structure has an overall L-shaped plan, with the main south range forming the principal element. It is two storeys high with a hipped slate roof finished with clay ridge tiles and cast iron ogee-section gutters. Chimneystacks with rendered diagonally-set shafts punctuate both the axial and lateral elevations.

The principal rooms are situated on the first floor, accessed by a porch and porte-cochere at the east end where ground level is higher, with service rooms occupying the ground floor. This arrangement is unusual and represents a notable design feature. The main entrance is marked by a porte-cochere at first floor level, supported on four square columns with a flat roof and a glazed porch featuring margin glazing bars and coloured glass at its corners.

The south-east garden front displays five bays with twelve and sixteen-pane hornless sashes to the ground floor, the rightmost having been replaced in the late 20th century with a glazed garden door. The first floor is distinguished by sixteen-pane bowed sashes in raised wooden frames with decorated friezes flanking a grand central two-storey bowed bay. This bay is embellished with stuccoed pilasters, entablature and urn finials, with large sixteen-pane bowed sashes on the first floor and a panelled and glazed garden door on the ground floor flanked by blind panels. A stringcourse runs across the front and continues around the side elevations.

The south-west elevation comprises three bays. To the right stands a full-height late 19th-century canted bay with round arch windows. To the left, on the first floor, are twelve and sixteen-pane sashes, three of which are set back with a central entrance, above which the outline of a former porch remains in stucco. Late 20th-century concrete and steel balconies occupy both sides at this level. The north-west rear elevation of the main range features a large tripartite sash window with glazing bars on the first floor.

The north-west wing (Sun House) was added by 1880 and similarly contains principal rooms on the first floor over service rooms below.

The interior of Lawncliff retains substantial 19th-century fabric. The first floor largely survives intact with original joinery throughout. An axial hall is adorned with lyncrusta on sections of its walls. Three large reception rooms along the south side feature elaborate moulded plaster cornices, ceiling roses and chimney pieces in the 18th-century style. Some wood-panelled window shutters remain, and a 19th-century decorative tiled floor survives in the entrance porch. Sun House retains limestone flags to its ground floor and portions of original joinery.

The property stands within a mature garden first laid out in the early to mid-19th century, positioned in the north-west corner overlooking extensive views of Falmouth and Falmouth Bay. A gravelled walk partly lined with mature yew trees descends the cliff towards the bay.

Lawncliff was originally built as a private house in the early 19th century and remodelled in the mid-19th century. It was the residence of George Symons, owner of Little Falmouth ship yard, and was subsequently occupied by John Trethowan, a local ship owner and builder. By the later 19th century it was owned by Captain N Norway. In 1867–1873, the historian Lake described it as "Lawn Cliff, the beautiful marine residence of N Norway, Esq., adjoins Flushing; the scenery from this interesting place is very picturesque". The house was surrounded by a large garden with a circular walk. In the mid-20th century it was converted to a hotel, and since the 1980s has been divided into two separate private dwellings.