Tresprison Cottages And Attached Forecourt Walls And Railings

Tresprison Cottages consists of two attached houses and an attached cottage, dating from the 18th century for the houses and early 19th century for the cottage. The buildings feature coursed Elvan rubble walls with flat Elvan arches on No.1, granite quoins, and oak lintels on No.2, except for a granite lintel over a later doorway. The steep roof is made of corrugated iron, replacing the former thatch, while the cottage has scantle slate and the outshuts are covered with corrugated asbestos. The original houses have Elvan ashlar end stacks, with a brick stack on the right and additional brick stacks at the rear.

Originally built as two houses, they have at some point been converted into four cottages but are now likely reverted to two houses, all of which were empty at the time of the survey. The buildings are two storeys high and have an overall seven-window range. They were originally designed with symmetrical three-window fronts and central doorways, but now feature extra doorways to the front of each, to the left of the original doorways. Nos. 1 and 3 have four-panel doors, while No. 3 and the right side of No. 2 retain original mid-19th century twelve-pane hornless sash windows; the rest have 20th-century windows in the original openings, which were likely horizontal-sliding sashes with thick glazing bars.

The interior was not inspected but is likely to have original structural features and original carpentry and joinery. Notable subsidiary features include an original rubble and earth hedge with gateways and granite monolithic piers for the original houses, as well as a mid-19th century granite ashlar forecourt wall and iron railings in front of the cottage (No.3). These two 18th century houses, built as a near pair, represent an unusual building type for this period in Cornwall.