Molenick Farmhouse

Early 16th Century Farmhouse with Exceptional Medieval Roof Structure

Molenick Farmhouse is a farmhouse dating from the early 16th century, with additions probably from the later 16th century and 17th century, including plasterwork dated 1652. The house was remodelled in the early 18th century, with 19th-century alterations and some 20th-century changes.

The building is constructed of slatestone rubble with a slate roof featuring crested ridge tiles. The roof has a gable end to the left and is hipped to the right. There is a gable end stack to the left end and a rear lateral hall stack, both with brick shafts. The rear elevation is rendered and lined out.

Plan and Development

The house has a three-room and through-passage plan. The lower end room to the left is heated by a gable end stack, with a chamber above. The open hall was probably originally heated by the fireplace in the rear lateral stack rather than by an open hearth. The rear of the house may originally have been the front; there is what may have been a two-storey porch to the rear of the passage.

In the later 16th century, a wing of one-room plan was built to the front of the inner room to the right. This was also originally open to the roof, with smoke-blackened trusses surviving. In the later 17th century, a rear wing of one-room plan was added to the rear of the inner room. This was heated by a stack to the outer right side, with a plaster shield of arms dated 1652, which appears to be in its original position.

Probably around 1700 to the early 18th century, the hall was floored, with two windows inserted in the front at ground floor and a gable built over for two windows and a fireplace, with the stack rising from the apex of the gable. At this time a straight stair was inserted to the rear right of the passage. The site of the original stair is uncertain.

In the mid-19th century, the original inner room was largely rebuilt, with a straight stair dividing to right and left to give access to the upper floors of the front and rear wings, with a passage at ground floor leading to the rear wing. One jamb survives of the original ground floor doorway to the front wing. This remodelling also took up part of the hall at this end, with a stud partition wall inserted. Probably also at this time, a shallow rear addition was made behind the hall stack, which is now inaccessible. Also at this time in the 19th century, the rear wing was enlarged, new windows inserted, and a small porch added to the front door.

In the 20th century, the doorway to the storeyed porch was replaced by a window, and the ground floor of the porch used as a room. Few other alterations have been made.

Exterior

The house is of two storeys, with the lower end to the left and hall to the right of the passage doorway. The lower end has a 16-pane sash at first floor with a cambered brick head. The door to the passage is 19th-century, with a cambered brick head and flat hood on wooden piers with dentils. Above the doorway is an early 18th-century sash of 16 panes with a cambered brick head, the glazing bars flat-faced outside and ovolo-moulded inside.

To the right, the hall has two similar early 18th-century 12-pane sashes at ground floor with cambered brick heads. At first floor there is a large gable with a brick stack at the apex and two 19th-century six-pane sashes with cambered brick heads. To the right and projecting to the front is the parlour wing of two storeys; at ground floor this has a 20th-century casement, and at first floor a 19th-century 16-pane sash.

Attached to the right gable end of the parlour wing is a lower 19th-century two-storey range of outhouses, with two doors and two windows at ground floor with brick segmental heads, all two-light casements. At first floor there is a blocked window and two two-light casements. To the end right is an external stair to a loft door. All openings have brick segmental heads and surrounds. The left gable end has a painted rubble wall.

At the right side, the roof slope has been rebuilt over the original inner room. The central range has a covered way at ground floor with a scantle slate pitched roof on wooden piers and a plain door with a blocked window. To the right, the later 17th-century wing has an external stack and is rendered and lined out, with a 19th-century six-pane sash at first floor. There is a 19th-century 16-pane sash at first floor on the central range, lighting the stair.

To the left, the 16th-century front wing is built out beyond the line of the main building with a hipped roof, a door and two-light casement at ground floor, and a loft door above. There is a 19th-century two-storey addition to the outer side of the wing, rendered and lined out, with two doors, a 16-pane sash and two plate-glass sashes at first floor. To the end left, the 19th-century outhouse has a door; this side is built into the bank.

The rear of the house has a two-storey porch with a hipped roof, with a 20th-century casement at ground floor and a 19th-century 16-pane sash at first floor. The lower end to the right has a ground floor 20th-century 12-pane light. The rear lateral stack to the hall rises from the roof slope with a brick shaft. There is a two-storey addition, probably of the 18th century, built between the porch and the wing to the left, which conceals the stack at ground floor; there is a door and nine-pane light at first floor to the right.

The two-storey wing projects to the left; at the inner side there is a 20th-century window at ground floor and a 19th-century 18-pane sash at first floor. The rear of the wing also has a 20th-century window at ground floor and an 18-pane sash at first floor.

Interior

This house has features of outstanding quality, particularly the roof over the hall. The passage is wide with a stone floor. To the rear right is an early 18th-century straight stair, boxed in; at first floor this retains turned balusters. There is a two-centred arched chamfered granite doorway to the lower end, with cushion stops and carving over the head, and a semi-circular granite step down into the room.

The lower end room has a slate floor and two heavy chamfered cross beams recessed in the party wall to the passage. The fireplace has granite jambs and a cambered lintel, with an oven to the left with a cast iron door and pot jack. There is a copper to the left of the fireplace and hooks in the ceiling.

To the right of the passage, the screen to the hall has been plastered over, but the original screen may survive; at first floor level it is exposed as a plain plank and muntin screen. In the hall, the rear lateral fireplace has a granite two-centred arch, roll-moulded, with recessed spandrels and cushion stops. Along the front wall is a later 17th-century bench with scalloped edge and end.

To the right, there is a 19th-century passage leading to the rear wing. This room was substantially remodelled in the 19th century with shutters to the windows, but retains a plaster shield of arms with scrollwork and helm, with an arm grasping a tree trunk with roots, painted and dated 1652. The arms are of Scawen, Molenick, Moyle of Bake and Dandy of Lanreath. The doorway to the front wing retains one jamb of the late 16th-century doorway, with convex and concave mouldings and a scroll stop. There is a 19th-century stair in the former inner room.

At first floor, the chamber over the hall retains the complete roof structure from the original building. There are five bays with a decorative string across the gable ends. The roof has arched braces with cambered collars and carved pendants below the collars, two rows of threaded purlins and wall plate, with a diagonal ridge purlin. All the members are carved with leaves, wheatear and geometric designs, each one different. There is a doorway to the landing over the passage, and the foot of the principal remains behind the door. This roof is an extremely rare survival and is of exceptionally high quality.

On the landing, there is an early 18th-century two-panelled door to the room over the lower end, and a similar door to the chamber over the porch. The roof over the lower end has a solid wall to the left of the passage, rising to the apex, with a chamfered doorway to the chamber over the lower end. One truss remains over the passage, with a notched lap-jointed collar (the collar removed) and curved foot to the principals. The roof was rebuilt over the lower end in the 18th or 19th century.

The roof over the upper end is in three sections, with the roof over the front wing, roof over the original inner room and roof over the rear wing. The front wing has roof trusses with chamfered principal rafters and cambered collars, also chamfered with ogee stops, dovetailed lap joints and trenched purlins. The trusses over the front wing appear to be smoke-blackened. The 17th-century roof remaining over the rear wing has halved principals, notched and slightly cambered collars, mortised apex to the principals and trenched purlins. The later trusses have halved and pegged principals.

Significance

Molenick Farmhouse is unusual in having, as well as an open hall, a later wing which was also originally heated from an open hearth. It must have retained the open hall until the early 18th century, and the features from this phase are also interesting. This is one of the finest farmhouses in Cornwall.