Stable Block To Penrice

The stable block, dating to the early 19th century with later alterations, is situated within the grounds of the country house at Penrice. The building is constructed from killas rubble, with dressed stone to the front of the principal stables, and features Pentewan stone dressings to the heads of the openings. The roofs are primarily of dry Oelabole slate, with some hipped sections; much of the slate covering has been lost or removed. Two brick axial stacks rise from the roofed portion.

The stable block comprises stables arranged around three sides of a courtyard, developed in at least five phases. The original block is located on the left, extended at both ends, with a carriage house at the front. The rear block contains loose boxes and principal stables, built in two phases, and a former stable block is linked by the inner corner. A high screen wall connects the front ends of both blocks, featuring a wide, central round-arched carriage doorway. The left and right-hand ranges incorporate stabling, tack rooms, and coach houses.

The building is mostly single-storey, except for a basement smithy at the rear of the converted range and a basement shippon under the principal stables. Round-arched openings are found throughout, featuring original or later 19th-century windows, mostly horned sashes, with spoked fanlights or margin-pane glazing. Cross windows with glazing bars are present in the converted range. Doorways have ledged doors with spoked fanlights above. The left-hand block showcases two doorways of a later carriage house, an original window and doorway, and two carriage doorways. The rear block's front features two symmetrical two-window arrangements with a central doorway in each part, the principal stable on the right having a narrower front and an inscribed panel above its doorway. The right-hand block possesses two symmetrical two-window fronts and two carriage doorways, one of which is now partly blocked and fitted with a window.

Internally, 19th-century features and fittings remain where inspected. The roof and ceiling structures are likely constructed from timber from the Penrice estate, but exposed timberwork is deteriorating. Loose-box partitions are of pitch-pine vertical boarding topped with iron balustrades, shaped at the top rail, and are also vulnerable to weather damage. The stable block represents a well-developed arrangement designed to appear planned, with consistent structural and architectural details, presumably extended as the need for stabling and carriage space grew while maintaining a courtyard layout.