Worthyvale Manor And Garden Wall To Front

Worthyvale Manor is a substantial manor house, now a private residence, with an adjoining garden wall to the front. The building dates from the early 17th century, with possible extensions in the mid-17th century and partial remodelling in the 18th century. It was built for the Worthyvale family and is constructed of slate stone rubble with a rag slate roof featuring gable ends that continue over a two-storey outshot to the rear.

The building displays multiple stone rubble chimney stacks of 17th-century date: a moulded-capped stack on the left-hand gable end, a smaller axial stack backing onto the lower side of a passage heating chamber above the hall and passage, a stone rubble stack originally serving as an end stack heating the hall on the right, and a further stack on the right-hand gable end. A rear wing on the right has a slate roof and brick end stack. The original plan is uncertain, but the present house appears to be only part of a larger structure with later additions. As currently arranged, it comprises a long range of three rooms with a through passage: the lower left room serves as the parlour with a gable end stack; to the right of the passage stands a long hall with a large fireplace spanning the entire width of the higher end; and a third room at the higher end appears to be either an 18th-century addition or replacement of a former wing, with an 18th-century wing behind it. Shallow service rooms occupy an outshot across the complete rear length; the outshot at the lower end appears to be of different construction and may represent a remodelled or reduced service wing, whilst the higher-end outshot was likely built contemporaneously with the higher-end room in the 18th century.

The house is two storeys with an asymmetrical front elevation containing seven windows, marked by straight joints to the left of the entrance and to the right of the central hall. The ground floor displays two 19th-century 16-pane sashes in dressed stone segmental arches lighting the parlour on the left. The entrance features a 4-centred granite arch with straight-cut stops and a 20th-century glazed outer door. Within stands a high-quality oak door of three vertical planks with chamfered ledges and an unusual front framing comprising an ovolo-moulded surround and two fluted pilasters; a blocked central peephole and the initials and date 'H B 1703' (Boscawen family) are visible. To the right, the hall was originally lit by three 2-light mullion windows, the lintels of which survive; the windows have been replaced by three 19th-century 16-pane sashes with dripstone and labels above. A further 19th-century 16-pane sash lights the far right. The first floor contains seven 19th-century 12-pane sashes. The rear elevation is two storeys with 19th-century casements and a 19th-century stair window with margin glazing bars. A blocked door stands on the higher side of the hall. The rear service wing contains a 19th-century 3-light casement.

The interior features a wide passage with two 3-centred granite chamfered arched entrances serving the hall and parlour. A fine-quality 17th-century oak door of pattern similar to the entrance door opens to the hall. The hall contains a large granite fireplace measuring over 11 feet inside the frame, with a chamfered granite lintel and jambs bearing pyramid stops; a 20th-century pier provides additional support for the lintel. A cloam oven on the left side has a granite lintel and clay door; a further cloam oven to the rear and a creamery on the right—constructed of slate stones with a circular hole in the top for a basin and a small opening for a grate below—are present. The rear wall base of the fireplace is constructed of slate stones in herringbone pattern with a stepped pentan of horizontally and vertically coursed slates of particularly fine quality. The parlour fireplace displays a chamfered granite lintel and jambs with pyramid stops. Unmoulded ceiling beams above the parlour, passage, and hall are fairly slight, roughly cut, and closely spaced, suggesting either a later 18th-century date and/or that the ground-floor ceilings were originally plastered. A stone sink in the outshot to the rear of the hall has a granite lip draining to the exterior wall, with a second lip towards the centre of the elevation on the rear. A fireplace in the right-hand rear wing has granite jambs possibly comprising reused hood mould and a cloam oven with clay door. A 17th-century framed stair to the rear of the passage was remodelled in the 19th century with treads partly replaced; remains of 18th-century panelling survive. The chamber above the hall contains a 17th-century granite fireplace with chamfered lintel and jambs bearing pyramid stops and a pentan to the rear. A 17th-century oak frame adjoins a blocked door opening, featuring a chamfered lintel with mason's mitre and chamfered jambs with stepped ogee stops. Several 18th-century 2-panel doors occur on the first floor. The roof structure above the hall and parlour was largely replaced in the mid-19th century with a bolted collar rafter roof continuing over the rear outshot; some 18th-century timbers may have been reused. The roof structure above the right-hand room and rear right wing was not inspected.

The stone rubble garden wall to the front includes a mounting block on the left and a front wall featuring reused granite lintels and mullions forming the coping, with niches in the right-hand wall, possibly bee boles.

The property remained in the possession of the Worthyvale family from the 14th to the 17th century. In 1664, Christopher Worthyvale died with personal effects valued at over £1,100, principally comprising money lent on bond, simple goods and chattels, and a collection of 37 books. The house was subsequently purchased by the Boscawens and later passed to the Viscounts Falmouth.