Lower Calamansack Farmhouse Including Backyard Wall To North West

Farmhouse at Lower Calamansack, Constantine, dating to the late 18th century with an extension built in the early to mid 19th century. The main structure is constructed of slate rubble with dressed granite quoins, lintels and cills, featuring scantle slate hanging on the left-hand wall. The roof is laid with asbestos slate with half-hipped ends and red clay ridge tiles, with two red brick chimneys stacks over each end wall. The early to mid 19th century extension to the right has a slurried scantle slate hipped roof with clay ridge tiles.

The plan is unusually double-depth. The front contains two parlours separated by a central entrance passage which leads to a rear entrance passage containing a stairwell and small pantry to the left, positioned behind the deeper of the two front parlours. The right-hand parlour is shallower due to a large kitchen behind it. A cellar extends only under the two front rooms. The early to mid 19th century extension to the right contains a deep two-room plan with a scullery or back kitchen projecting at the rear. Both rooms in the extension feature large open fireplaces on the right side and a loft above. This addition now links the house to the early 19th century Lower Calamansack Cottage to the right. In the late 20th century, the partitions between the two front rooms were removed.

The exterior presents as two storeys with a cellar. The south-east front is nearly symmetrical with three windows and a central doorway, though disposed slightly to the left. The original window and doorway openings feature granite lintels inscribed as voussoirs and granite cills. All original sashes have been replaced with late 20th century plastic windows with glazing bars, and the panelled door has been replaced with a plastic glazed door. A flight of granite steps leads up to the doorway. To the right, a cellar doorway has a rough granite lintel and boarded door.

The early to mid 19th century extension is slightly set back. On the ground floor, the doorway to the left and two windows to the right have cambered red brick arches. The doorway features a four-pane overlight and boarded door, while the central window is an early 19th century twelve-pane sash. The right-hand window is blocked. Two windows on the first floor consist of a 20th century casement to the left and an eight-pane sash to the right.

The rear elevation is asymmetrical, with an original six-panel door at centre topped by a hipped scantle slate canopy. To the right and left, two windows on each floor are late 20th century plastic windows in the original openings with granite lintels and cills, with a similar stair window at mid-floor level to the right of the doorway. The early to mid 19th century extension projects to the left and has an original sixteen-pane sash on both ground and first floors to the left, and a wide doorway to the right with a wider loft doorway above, both with plank doors.

The listing also includes a wall at the rear enclosing a small back yard area, constructed of slate rubble with cambered granite coping and small granite monolithic gate-posts.

Interior features include the two front rooms, now open-plan, with their chimney-pieces removed but dado rails surviving. At the back of the former passage stands a segmental-headed doorway with panelled pilasters and a panelled door with a glazed segmental top light. The original dog-leg staircase retains its stick balusters, moulded handrail and square newels with caps. The kitchen features a very large open fireplace with monolithic granite jambs and unchamfered granite lintel. The kitchen ceiling has exposed soft-wood joists and the floor is laid in Devonian limestone or possibly Serpentine. Most of the panelled doors survive throughout the house, and the first floor is said to remain intact.

The early to mid 19th century extension contains a scullery at the back with a boarded ceiling, a fireplace with brick arch and copper boiler, and a staircase to the loft above.

The cellar beneath the front rooms of the original house features limewashed plaster walls scratched with graffiti depicting numerous early 19th century sailing ships, presumably a record of vessels moored in the Helford River which the house overlooks.