Godolphin House

This remarkable country house represents one of Cornwall's most important surviving great houses, showing consistently fine quality work across multiple centuries. The seat of the Godolphin family for many generations, it was later reduced by the Dukes of Leeds.

Building History and Development

The house dates from circa the late 15th century, probably incorporating earlier work. It was extended considerably in the 16th century, then remodelled and extended in the mid 17th century, with some 18th-century alterations. Around 1805 it was greatly reduced to south and east, followed by modification as a farmhouse.

The house is built of granite, chiefly ashlar with some rubble and some render, all with granite dressings. The roofs are steep scantle slate, mostly with parapets and hipped ends, except for a gable over the porch to the west and a truncated wing on the east flank. Various chimney types survive, including two early 17th-century crenellated stacks and four mid 17th-century corniced ones. Many 16th to 18th-century crested ridge tiles remain.

Plan and Layout

The two-storey house is roughly U-shaped around a courtyard on a gentle slope rising to the south. This arrangement resulted from reducing a large and complex house built around two or more courtyards. The hall ran east-west parallel to the north front on the far side of the principal court. A well-defined north-south axis runs from the entrance across this court, through the site of the screens passage, across a vanished rear courtyard to the site of the back gate. The antiquity of this axis, running off-centre across the early house, is demonstrated by the application of a symmetrical front by the start of the 16th century. The early hall and through-passage generated and modified the subsequent development of the plan.

The house is approached from the north through a 17th-century forecourt which once incorporated two earlier towers. The present 17th-century entrance (north) block is built over earlier end blocks (perhaps towers also) and connecting curtain wall. There is a central entrance gate but, to achieve external symmetry, the range overlaps on the east flank.

The principal courtyard has parallel east and west ranges and is closed by a wall to the south. The east block, of about 1500, had parlours on the ground floor with a service passage added under a catslide roof on its east (rear) in the late 18th century. The whole range extends beyond the north wall in post-1805 form, including the kitchen. The parallel west block is an early 17th-century remodelling of a smaller arrangement of several periods. On the first floor at the far south end, the great chamber (King's Room) runs east-west with a small porch off it to the north-east leading into a walled garden (King's Garden). The south block of this principal courtyard is represented only by the front wall of the hall (right) and hall porch.

Beyond the hall to the south lay a large rear domestic court. Parallel to the hall at the far south limit of the house, another range including the back gate and returning on the east a range perhaps containing a long gallery once existed. The main stair was at the north-west corner of the rear court, leading directly from the hall to the great chamber. Off the east side of this court, and probably separated from it by a wall, lay a service court of which only part of the supposed Bakehouse remains. North of the house at a little distance was the deer park, and immediately east remain extensive 17th-century gardens. The site of the probably free-standing chapel (dedicated to Our Lady and reputedly licensed in 1300) is not known.

North (Entrance) Front

The entrance front presents an overall eleven-window elevation of remarkable design. Wider bay spacing defines end blocks under hipped roofs which once had finials (remains survive in the west roofspace). A plinth and battlemented parapet run continuously. The seven bays between are supported on a colonnade (still called the 'piazza' by some locally) of six stout tapering monolithic approximately Tuscan columns between two half-columns, standing on a stylobate of two steps. Flat keystoned lintels span between the columns with surprisingly advanced fascia detail. Between the colonnade and end blocks are two 17th-century lead rainwater pipes, the pipeheads decorated with double-headed eagle and dolphin (arms and crest of the family).

The roof over the centre section is 19th century and supersedes a large lead flat (the structure mostly survives) punctuated by two tall thin chimney shafts with cornice caps, of which only the tops now show.

The east flank of this block was re-fenestrated circa 1805 with a tripartite hornless sash window with square granite mullions to the ground floor and a similar Venetian window above, both with much crown glass. The 1805 demolition left the facing toothed to the south.

The west flank of the north block faces the stable yard. The ground floor has a restored two-light mullioned window, with perhaps a similar window above, now blocked early. The return and back walls within the colonnade are probably a 16th-century refacing of earlier semi-defensive work. The returns each have a pistol loop enfilading the gate. Before the 17th-century alterations, the wall at the back was a curtain, and there are remains of stairs to the wall-walk at either end on the south face.

The central gate was clearly built as a frontispiece and based on a hazy recollection of that at Collacombe, Lamerton, Devon, giving it a date of circa 1580. A four-centred moulded arch of conventional pattern is flanked by two cylindrical attached columns with multiple-moulded capitals and bases standing on pedestals. Above, the capitals become bases for short upper column lengths also terminating in capitals, of which another floats over the crown of the arch. On either side of this, oversized guttae prove that more existed above, including a Doric frieze (see the proper one at Collacombe). Contemporary oak gates are ornamented with pilasters and cornices, their tops forming a big scallop shell. There is a wicket in the right leaf.

Through this gate another colonnade mirrors the first. The 17th-century rooms above are thus supported on a spine wall and two colonnades—a design both daring and probably unique. The pre-existing east block of the courtyard laps this north block, covering one and a half columns and a window above, showing that a plan to make the courtyard larger and symmetrical was abandoned (perhaps at the Civil War).

Courtyard Elevations

The courtyard face of the east block has three bays irregularly spaced with circa 1500 four-light mullioned windows on the ground floor and 17th-century three-light mullioned windows above. All have hoods; those to the ground floor have four-centred heads. The right-hand ground floor windows light the Dining Room, which has one regular-sized and one very tall window (north) with a king mullion. An 18th-century timber modillion eaves cornice exists (at which time the face seems to have been rendered and blocked out). Some 1985 repair and reconstruction occurred on the first floor.

This block continues as a circa 1805 single-bay remodelling south of the courtyard with modillion cornice made to match and an ashlar front of two three-light re-used mullioned windows and a re-used four-centred doorway.

The south wall of the courtyard is the face of the hall range with the first floor removed and parapet lowered in 1805. The left-hand end is blind and largely rebuilt. The hall porch pre-dates the remainder and is probably 15th-century work. It now projects very little, but the plinth of the right-hand return runs back a further two metres (now below ground). The doorway was replaced with a late 15th-century arch with blind-panelled jambs similar to those in the south porches of Breage and many local churches (perhaps from the chapel?). To the right of this is the 16th-century symmetrical three-window front of the hall (almost absorbing the porch): a two-light mullioned window on either side of a similar four-light window with king mullion (there were identical but half-height windows above).

The early 17th-century courtyard face of the west block has a 2:1:1 bay arrangement with a rubble plinth bearing remains of early pebble-dashed render, labelled string courses, and a 20th-century plain parapet (originally battlemented). The third bay from the left projects slightly. Windows to ground floor service rooms are small with two lights. The sills of the two to the right are lowered (that in the projecting bay was converted to a door in the 19th century). The far left-hand window was replaced (possibly 1805) by a re-used and modified four-centred doorway. The windows have 20th-century leaded lights except for early 19th-century timber lights with glazing bars to the first floor right window. The rainwater pipe and pipehead are 20th-century copies.

West and South Elevations

The rear (west) face of the west block is irregular, with the stable range abutting to the left (north), forming one side of a private garden (King's Garden). Adjoining this is the small slightly projecting three-storey porch of the King's Room, early 17th century with a chamfered flat-headed door up steps, a two-light mullioned window (less the mullion) above, and a small single-light attic window. To the right, two large three-light mullioned windows mirror those at the east (courtyard) end of the room. Below them are two 17th-century cellar ventilators with relieving arches. The roof is hipped with a plain parapet (20th century), once crenellated. The right return has a re-used single-light window to the cellar and a copied rainwater pipe with pipehead.

Further right and thus set back is a two-storey roofed wall and return. To the west is a central wide segmental-headed mid 18th-century staircase window, and on the (south) return a ground floor window.

The rear (south) elevation is entirely the result of 19th-century demolitions. To the left is the King's Room with hipped and sprocketted roof, rebuilt south wall with first floor door up stone steps with 20th-century porch, and ground floor right a re-used 17th-century chamfered doorway with panelled door. There is a copied pipehead. To the right, the rear of the hall front and porch with 19th-century buttresses (except that to left of porch, which is its earlier return wall) and wall close the courtyard. Far east is the hipped end of the east block, blind and with rebuilt 17th-century kitchen chimney.

The rear of the east block has an outshut in two phases. The left part is 19th century, the result of demolition and rebuilding. The rubble walling is broken only by a 19th-century scullery window at the south end with a 20th-century window above, both casements. Right of this is a section of ashlar facing, and between the two a double straight joint perpetuates a vanished wall projecting east (site of stair off Dining Room?). Right of this is a late 18th-century two-window ashlar front with strange two-light windows with voussoirs and re-used mullions fitting under keystones. Original leaded lights and casements survive. Under the right-hand window is a doorway with overlight and probably original door, then right again a small 19th-century introduced ground floor window.

Here, in the angle where the north block overlaps to the east, is a 19th-century block with re-used two-light mullioned window built after 1805 demolitions. This was raised up in the mid 20th century with hipped slate roof and two re-used two-light oak mullioned windows from the demolished Red Lion Hotel, Truro.

Interior

Work of circa 1500 survives notably in the principal ground floor parlour (now Dining Room) in the east block. The ceiling of framed intersecting beams, richly moulded with vine trails, bosses and leaves at the intersections and moulded joists, is possibly the best of its date in the county. The north wall has a 19th-century fireplace with three-centred arch surrounded by linenfold panelling probably contemporary with the room. Between the windows is a cast iron plaque of the royal arms of Henry VIII, intended as a fireback but with 19th-century colours.

The chamber above has remains of the original roof of four bays with four surviving carved arch-braced trusses, carved wallplate and pockets for three threaded purlins (a waggon vault-like hybrid), revealed and repaired in 1985. There is a 17th-century fireplace. The chamber to the north has slight remains of contemporary roof.

Of the 16th century, no roofs or floors survive, and few other elements. There are considerable 17th-century remains, however, including the large three-centred kitchen fireplace, once double but adapted in the 19th century.

The west block contains the great chamber, of considerable size (traditionally called the King's Room). The ceiling is canopied all round with two 17th-century pendants of ornamental plasterwork. It is a very plain 18th-century re-working including a modillion cornice; the 17th-century pattern is not known. There are two alcoves or bays symmetrically off the main room to north-east and north-west, the former with early 17th-century cornice, frieze and pattae.

On the south wall is a large and fine early 17th-century oak overmantle re-used over a door. The superstructure is supported on paired approximately Ionic columns with amulets and pineappling standing on patterned pedestals. They support a deep pulvinated and scaled frieze with matching smaller columns and round arches set back above, forming three large niches separated by rusticated splats. Within were three marquetry shields: that to the left charged with the arms of Godolphin, to the right Sidney, and centre Godolphin impaling Sidney—for the marriage of Sir William Godolphin and Thomasina Sidney in 1604. The inlay is missing from all but the left-hand shield. A deep gadrooned frieze with a wide cornice-board on hart's-tongue brackets completes it. This overmantle was restored to the house in the mid 20th century.

The fireplace in the King's Room is large with roll and cavetto mouldings and diabolo stops. A similar one exists in the next room north, which also has a 17th-century frieze of ornamental plasterwork of big flowers with tapestry rail below. The roof over this block is also 17th century, part with cambered collars and notched-lap joints.

The north (front) block preserves much of its mid 17th-century roof. Over the west end block are trenched purlins, and at the apex the principals and hip rafters are morticed into the stub of a vanished finial. The east end block roof seems to be an 18th-century replacement. Between the two is a long mid 19th-century pine roof of low pitch built over the cross-beams and joists (some circa 1500 re-used) of the original flat lead roof. The north block also preserves parts of its mid 17th-century floor structures.

The library (traditionally called the Godolphin Room) has another frieze of ornamental plasterwork and a mid 17th-century chamfered granite fireplace hidden behind early 18th-century Delft tiles of sea creatures, surrounded by a pine overmantle with pilasters flanking a bolection-moulded panel with articulated cornice. Another chamfered fireplace exists over the colonnade.

Of the 18th century is the Adam-style mantlepiece in the Sitting Room (first floor east end block) with dado and one of a pair of six-panel doors surviving from circa 1805 (the other replaced in the 20th century by a mahogany door from Pendarves).

On the ground floor in the east block, the Breakfast Room has part late 18th-century and part early 19th-century pine panelling with box-cornice. The back stairs (north-east corner of east block) were built in the 19th century re-using three earlier balustrades: 18th-century Chinese Chippendale, late 17th-century bobbin-turned, and circa 1604 splat balusters (see King's Room overmantle). The overmantle in the entrance hall is from St Ives and the fireplace is reconstructed.

Historical Significance

Few of Cornwall's great houses survive to this extent. Godolphin shows consistently fine quality work from 1500, 1600 and 1650. One of the unanswered puzzles is the similarity of the Dining Room in its disposition to a hall—perhaps explained by use as both parlour and private dining room from the start. The front of the house is an ingenious and original design and a surprising compliment to the earlier work which it retains.

Far though the house is from the capital, the Godolphins were courtiers from the time of Sir William (1510-75) to the Second Earl (mid 18th century), and this may explain the ambitious attempts. By tradition Charles II, when Prince of Wales, stayed here. Sydney, First Earl of Godolphin (who was born here), reached highest office as Queen Anne's Lord Treasurer.

This is one of Cornwall's most important houses both historically and architecturally, a house developed through many periods and styles combined harmoniously and little altered since the early 19th century.