The Old Vicarage

The Old Vicarage

A former vicarage on Vicarage Road in Breage, this building dates from the 17th century or earlier and was substantially remodelled in the 18th century. It is constructed of granite rubble with some granite dressings, part of which is painted, and has a grouted scantle slate roof in an L-plan form. Granite chimneys sit over the gables of the main range, with the right-hand example positioned over an external rubble stack, while a brick chimney rises over the gable end of the rear wing.

Historical records provide valuable insight into the building's past. A description in the Glebe Terriers dated 4 May 1680 records the house as having 7 ground rooms, 6 chambers, and a study. The present L-shaped plan does not accommodate this arrangement, suggesting that the original structure may have had two wings at right angles to either the front or rear. The current configuration comprises a main 17th-century two-room range oriented end-on to the slope, plus a range dating from probably the late 17th or early 18th century positioned at right angles behind the right-hand room. The main range originally featured a central entrance with the parlour to the left and the hall kitchen to the right, which now contains an enormous blocked fireplace. The plan was remodelled probably in the 19th century to create a central unheated room. The rear wing, now a single room, features a large kitchen fireplace of late 17th or early 18th-century date in the gable wall. The left-hand end of the house is built into sloping ground, which rises to the level of a first-floor doorway in the gable. Behind the left-hand room lies a single-storey service room at right angles, while in the angle between the two ranges sits a small flat-roofed 20th-century addition.

The building rises to two storeys with an irregular south-east front of three windows. Originally more symmetrical, this elevation was altered probably in the late 19th century following the construction of the present vicarage. The original wide, roughly central doorway is now blocked except for a small window; the window opening above it matches the doorway in width. The left-hand window openings have been greatly reduced in width, with the ground floor opening now serving as a narrow doorway. The present main doorway is positioned right of centre, with a wide window to its right. Above this window is a 12-pane sash with thick glazing bars, surviving from the 18th-century remodelling. The remaining windows are of 20th-century date or are reused casements with small panes. At the left-hand side, a pier of rubble masonry projects slightly, possibly representing the wall thickness of a demolished 17th or earlier-century wing.

The rear wing displays irregularly disposed openings on its right-hand wall, including two original 18th-century first-floor openings with granite sills; the ground-floor openings are probably 19th-century. Two 18th-century hipped roof dormers with 12-pane 2-light casements light the attic rooms. The left-hand side of the wing contains two wide 18th-century window openings, one above the other. An obscured window on this elevation, now concealed by the 20th-century extension, features reused Perpendicular tracery constructed to resemble 14th-century reticulated tracery. According to the present vicar, this tracery originated from Germoe Church and faces into the interior, suggesting it may never have been visible from outside.

The interior retains what is probably its 17th or 18th-century floor and roof structure, although the first floor and roof were not inspected. The ceiling beams of the wing are probably 17th or 18th-century in date, as is the tiled fireplace with an elliptical arch of granite voussoirs. A pointed plaster arch marks the rear of the former through passage.

Like many Cornish houses, this building has undergone numerous alterations across successive generations, yet modifications have been comparatively few since the 19th century, and many earlier features may remain concealed beneath later work.