Gonvena House

Gonvena House is a house, dating from around 1790, that has been converted into flats. It was originally built for Edward Fox, a local merchant. The house is constructed of stone rubble, with the front (south-west) and right-hand (south-east) elevations faced with Flemish bond red brick. It has a cement-washed slate roof with hipped ends and brick end stacks.

The original plan included a central entrance leading to the main floor (piano nobile). The layout was double depth, with an entrance hall containing a staircase originally leading to the rear, along with two main reception rooms on either side, served by end stacks for heating. There were two shallower rooms to the rear, and a two-room service wing to the rear right, which was extended around the middle of the 19th century with a further wing of two rooms, creating an overall 'L' shape.

The front elevation, facing south-west and overlooking the garden (originally laid out by Fox with views over Wadebridge), is three storeys with a basement. It presents a symmetrical five-window facade in brick, with dressed stone flat bands marking the string courses, chamfered quoins, rubbed brick flat arches with dressed stone key blocks, and a modillion cornice. A flight of steps with a cast iron balustrade leads to the central entrance on the piano nobile, where a six-panel door is topped by a fanlight and a broken pediment supported by console brackets. The original late-18th-century sash windows contain crown glass; six-pane sashes are in the basement, 12-pane sashes on the ground and first floors, and 3-over-6-pane sashes on the second floor. The right-hand elevation also uses brick, with a two-window front, a blind bay on the left, and tripartite sashes on the right. A lower, two-storey wing is located at the rear.

The interior is not accessible, but the owner reports that the staircase has been removed and partitions altered.

Gonvena House is a prominent feature in Wadebridge, with its two brick elevations visible from the town centre.