Bokelly

Bokelly is a house, possibly of the 17th century on an earlier site, that was substantially remodelled in the mid-19th century. It was probably built for the Carnsew family, who later became prominent residents.

The building is constructed of stone rubble with a renewed scantle slate roof featuring hipped ends on the right and a cross wing on the left, also with hipped ends. A lower wing projects from the front right with a hipped end. There is a brick axial chimney stack in the cross wing on the right and a projecting end stack with brick shaft on the right-hand hipped end. A further brick stack and cloam oven projection serving the 19th-century kitchen occupies a lean-to outshut at the rear right.

The original 17th-century plan likely comprised a cross passage with a hall and inner room to the right and service range in the cross wing on the left. The hall was probably heated by a rear lateral stack, now removed, though the projecting chimney breast survives on the ground floor as a rear entrance. The inner room was heated by an end stack, and the service range probably had a large lateral or end stack removed and replaced with an axial stack serving back-to-back fireplaces between the two rooms. The circa-19th-century framed stair in the wide cross passage may replace an earlier stair. The partition between hall and inner room has been moved to enlarge the inner room, possibly when the hall stack was removed, creating a small central unheated room. A kitchen range was added to the rear of the higher end (right) around the 19th century, together with a projecting wing on the front right.

The house displays two storeys with a low basement and an asymmetrical 1:3:1 window front with the cross wing on the left and a slightly lower wing on the right. The cross wing has a 12-pane hornless sash on the ground floor and a 12-pane later 19th-century sash above. The main range to the right has an entrance in the angle with the cross wing, with a circa late-19th or early-20th century lean-to brick porch containing a 19th-century 4-pane door. To the right are 12-pane hornless sash, 19th-century 12-pane hornless sash, 19th-century 12-pane sash, wide 16-pane sashes, and later 19th-century 20-pane sash. The lower projecting wing on the right has brick segmental arches to openings and 19th-century sashes. A lean-to extension containing a porch on the front of the projecting wing has a circa-15th-century reset cusped arch to a window opening with a small segmental arched greenstone window below. The left-hand elevation of the cross wing shows evidence of partial rebuilding, with a projecting early buttress having masonry tumbled in and a granite string above the ground floor.

The interior features a wide passage with a framed stair with circa-19th-century treads and balustrade above the ground floor. The cross wing contains two small back-to-back fireplaces, one with an unmoulded granite lintel. A central unheated room has a flag floor, and the enlarged inner room features a large 19th-century fireplace and deep cupboards adjoining with raised and fielded panels. High plastered ceilings grace the ground floor. The first floor contains several 18th-century raised and fielded panelled doors and a late-18th-century cast iron hob grate. The roof structure was replaced around the late 18th century with principals halved, lapped and pegged at apices and collars lapped and pegged onto the face of principals.

Fragments of dressed stone from an earlier house survive in the grounds surrounding Bokelly. These include a 3-light Catacleuse stone window with pointed heads and chamfer reset in a small outbuilding approximately 6 metres north-east of the house, which is probably Medieval and possibly the original rear hall window. In the garden wall approximately 30 metres to the south of the house are two moulded granite jambs with double roll and fillet mouldings and a later granite unmoulded lintel, forming an entrance that is no longer in use.

Bokelly was the ancient seat of the Bokelly family; John de Bokelly was Member of Parliament for Helston in 1343 and Nicholas Bokelly was Member of Parliament for Bodmin in 1448. It later became the residence of the Carnsew family. Surviving fragments of William Carnsew's diary for 1576–77 provide an exceptionally interesting and rare insight into the life of this Justice of the Peace and his mining ventures, with some references to Bokelly. Documentary material also comprises letters from William Carnsew to his brother Richard and brother-in-law John Arundell. In a letter dated 17 March 1615, William Carnsew wrote that his wife Ann, daughter of John Arundell of Trerise, was rebuilding the Carnsew house of Bokelly.