Polapit Tamar

Polapit Tamar is a large house built in 1866 and extended between 1901 and 1903 by Robert P. Whellock for R.C. Coode. The building is constructed from snecked local stone with granite dressings and features slate roofs with gable and hipped ends, along with brick moulded axial and end stacks.

The house has a complicated plan, with service rooms located at the rear right facing the yard and reception rooms on the garden front. The early 20th-century extension on the left includes a ballroom with chambers above. The garden front has been partly remodelled in the early 20th century, featuring the extension on the left. The earlier range to the right has a symmetrical three-window front, with the central bay set forward and topped with a Flemish gabled end. There is a round arched opening on the ground floor with an oriel window above, flanked by 19th-century sash windows with margin glazing bars on both the ground and first floors.

To the right, there is a lower range with a five-window front, which includes a canted bay window to the left of centre and a shallow projecting bay to the right. This section has 12-pane sashes on both floors and a glazed verandah across the front. A late 19th-century conservatory is set back to the left. The extension designed by Whellock features a symmetrical three-window front, with the centre advanced and topped by a wide segmental pediment and a modillion cornice. The central entrance leads to a loggia with paired Ionic columns, and above, there are Venetian-style windows and battlemented parapets on the canted side walls. The attic rooms are topped with two round cupolas flanking a taller square cupola, all adorned with very tall finials with ball tops, creating an unusual skyline.

The rear elevation facing the yard includes a two-storey canted entrance with a round-headed door arch, above which are the arms of the Coode family. The curved wall of the stair tower is located at the left angle. Inside, the ballroom is panelled in oak and features ornately carved chimney-pieces, one of which has an overmantle carved with a view of Launceston. Much of the house has been divided into flats, and the interiors were not inspected.