The Old Post Office

This manor house or steward's house, later used as a post office and now owned by the National Trust and open to the public, probably dates from the 15th century. It was repaired in 1896 by Detmar Blow and restored in 1971. The building is constructed of local slate stone rubble with a rag slate roof featuring gable ends and a lower roof over an inner room on the left. Stone rubble chimney stacks stand on the gable ends, both with cloam oven projections, and a projecting front lateral hall stack also has a cloam oven projection. The stacks were rebuilt in the early 20th century.

Original Plan and Development

The original plan was possibly that of a two-room house with a through passage. The three-bay hall on the left shows possible evidence of smoke-blackening on the principals, with the collars having been partly replaced. It is therefore possible that the hall was heated by an open hearth, although the scanty evidence of sooting prevents an estimation of the hearth's position. The hall was probably divided from the passage by a low screen which has subsequently been removed. On the lower side of the passage, the stone rubble cross wall continues up to the apex.

The two-bay lower room was possibly originally unheated and floored, with a chamber above. The original position of the stair is uncertain. Unless the hall originally had a stack, the early to mid-16th century improvements involved the insertion of a front lateral stack with a possibly coeval and integral single-storey hall bay on its higher left-hand side.

Probably slightly later, a two-bay inner room was added to the higher side of the hall, heated by a gable end stack. The first floor chamber above was approached via a turreted stair added in a semi-circular projection to the rear of the higher side of the hall. The gabled two-storey bay projection at the front of the inner room was probably added in the late 16th or early 17th century.

Possibly sometime in the 17th century, a fireplace was inserted in the lower room, which became a kitchen. Around the 19th century, a stone-rubble cross wall was inserted at the higher side of the passage, probably replacing a hall screen, and a small chamber was inserted above the passage. This chamber was subsequently remodelled to form a gallery, probably in the early 20th century.

Post Office and Conservation History

In 1844 a Letter Receiving Office was established and the building served as the village post office for nearly 50 years. In 1892 the building was to be sold for redevelopment and in 1895 was put up for auction. The Old Post Office was bought by Catherine Johns and in 1896 was repaired by Detmar Blow according to the principles laid down by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, the money having been raised through the sale of pictures by a group of local artists. In 1900 the National Trust agreed to buy the building for a nominal £100, raised by public appeal.

Exterior

The building stands one and two storeys high with an asymmetrical two-window front. The front lateral hall stack is positioned to the left of centre, and the inner room on the left has a slightly lower roof. A gabled stone rubble porch features a roughly chamfered segmental arch.

To the right, the lower side has a narrow single-light greenstone window lighting the stair to the first floor chamber and a two-light casement lighting the lower room. A two-light casement lights the chamber above. To the left of the entrance, a single-storey hall bay lit by a 20th-century two-light casement adjoins the front lateral hall stack with its cloam oven projection.

The inner room to the left has a two-storey gabled bay projection with a two-light casement lighting the inner room and a slightly hollow chamfered two-light granite mullion window lighting the first floor chamber. To the left of this bay is a low single-storey outshot with a possibly inserted separate entrance to the inner room, which may date from the 1840s when the room became the Letter Receiving Office for the General Post Office.

The left-hand gable end of the inner room features a cloam oven projection to the stack and a two-light narrow greenstone window lighting a recess adjoining the fireplace. A two-light casement is positioned on the first floor. The gable end has been partly rebuilt, probably in the 1970s, and has a row of pigeon holes. The semi-circular stair turret on the rear elevation is lit by two narrow single-light greenstone windows.

Interior

The entrance has a circa 17th-century oak door frame with a cyma reversa moulded lintel and jambs with stepped hollow stops. The circa 19th-century door consists of three planks with a raised moulded rim and chamfered ledges. Slate flag floors are found throughout.

Lower End

A circa 16th-century shouldered oak door frame stands in the lower side of the passage, with the right-hand jamb altered when the entrance was widened. Secondary partitions have been inserted into the lower room to accommodate a probably 19th-century stair. A large unmoulded slate lintel forms the fireplace in the gable end. The floor joists are roughly cut with one axial beam and slightly chamfered cross beams with run-out stops. The first floor is heated by a small fireplace with a slate arched lintel.

The two-bay roof structure appears to be clean. The raised cruck truss has curved feet and the collar is cranked and morticed into the principals. The apex is partly obscured by a secondary truss inserted to provide extra support. However, the principals appear to be halved, lapped and pegged and carry a diagonal ridge. Two tiers of threaded purlins are present. The common rafters have been replaced on the rear slope.

Hall and Passage

The hall is partitioned from the passage by an inserted stone rubble cross wall which continues up to first floor level. Above the passage is a narrow chamber lit by a narrow one-light greenstone window. The chamber was probably inserted and converted to form a gallery in the early 20th century.

The three-bay open hall is flanked by cross walls which continue up to the apex on the lower side of the passage and on the higher side of the hall. It is heated by a possibly inserted front lateral stack with a slate fireplace lintel supported on two large slate corbels. The stack was cement rendered internally in the late 20th century. A chimney bar, cloam oven and grate with spit and hobs are present, along with a slate cill above the fireplace lintel.

The hall bay adjoining the fireplace is lit by a narrow one-light greenstone window in the side wall and a renewed two-light casement on the front. A small blocked opening is visible on the higher side of the projection.

The three-bay roof structure above the hall appears to indicate evidence of soot-deposit on the principals, despite the two raised cruck trusses having been partly restored and having some remains of dark stain. The feet of the principals are curved and the cranked collars are morticed into the principals. The joint at the apices is particularly interesting and unusual: the principals are apparently stepped and abutted with no visible indication of a mortice or lap-joint. It was not possible to see whether they were held in place by a slip-tenon, by means of face pegging, or that the mortice was obscured, although a mortice and tenon would seem to be the most likely joint. A threaded diagonal ridge and two tiers of threaded purlins are present, with common rafters partly replaced.

Inner Room

The inner room was probably added around the late 16th century, although the evidence of straight joints on the front and rear walls is obscured and the cross wall between the hall and inner room is not very thick. The ground floor room has roughly cut ceiling beams and an unchamfered lintel to the fireplace. A slate winder stair in a semi-circular stair turret to the rear of the higher side of the hall provided access to the first floor chamber.

The two-bay roof structure appears to be clean although it has some evidence of dark staining. The raised cruck truss has curved feet and the cranked collar is morticed into the principals. The principals are halved, lap-jointed and pegged at the apex and carry a diagonal ridge. Two tiers of threaded purlins are present. A secondary truss of similar construction provides additional support.

The Old Post Office is a particularly interesting and, for Cornwall, a rare survival of a hall house with a most picturesque exterior.