Carns Farmhouse

Carns Farmhouse is a farmhouse dating to the early to mid 17th century. It is constructed of stone rubble with a steeply pitched slate roof, featuring gable ends and stone rubble end stacks, the left-hand stack rebuilt in the late 20th century. The building retains a rare plan type characterised by a central unheated room. It was likely originally comprised of a hall/kitchen on the right, heated by a gable end stack, the unheated central room, and a parlour on the left heated by an end stack. The framed stair appears to be original, situated between the parlour and central room, and the original entrance likely led directly into the hall/kitchen, with a narrow passage extending across the front of the house towards the central room, stair, and parlour.

The front of the house has a regular three-window facade. The ground floor has two late 19th and 20th century six-pane sashes on the left, a lean-to stone rubble porch with a 20th century door set within a circa mid 17th century ovolo-moulded timber doorframe featuring scroll stops, and a six-pane sash to the right. The first floor features two circa 19th century sixteen-pane sashes, with a six-pane sash positioned between them.

The interior partitions are largely in their original positions. The entrance originally opened directly into the hall/kitchen on the right-hand side. The hall/kitchen contains a heavy ovolo-moulded cross beam with scroll stops, supported on the left-hand side by a vertical ovolo-moulded post with similar scroll stops at its base. The ceiling beams running at right angles to this cross beam are likely 19th century, although one may be original. A chamfered fireplace lintel with embedded scroll stops is also present. A clom oven is noted. A small corridor runs across the front of the house, providing access to the unheated central room, stair, and parlour. The central room was converted into a bathroom in the late 20th century. The parlour on the left retains a complete set of eight ovolo-moulded ceiling beams with scroll stops and a fireplace with a chamfered, unstopped lintel. The stair is original, with ovolo-moulded newels on the left-hand side and a moulded handrail. Above the parlour is a solar with a 17th century timber fireplace featuring a chamfered lintel with scroll stops on chamfered timber corbelled brackets, which is now blocked and covered with layers of wallpaper and paint, although it appears to be of high quality. The circa 18th century roof structure has principals chamfered below collar level; the collars are partly halved, lapped and pegged onto the face of the principals with four oak pegs, and trenched purlins. A full inspection of the roof structure was not possible due to inaccessibility. Carns Farmhouse is notable for its interesting 17th century plan incorporating a central unheated room, a rare type in Cornwall, and several high-quality internal features.