Porthledden House

Porthledden House is a house dating from approximately 1907 to 1909, built for the mineralogist Francis Oats. It is constructed from coursed brown granite with grey granite dressings, and has a Cumberland slate roof with coped gable ends, including kneelers. Granite axial stacks are topped with moulded caps.

The plan consists of a south range with a porch to the front, and a cross-wing and conservatory to the east. A rear range creates an E-shaped elevation to the west, with service ranges to the north. It is designed in a Jacobethan style.

The house is two storeys and an attic. The asymmetrical four-bay south front has a gabled cross-wing on the right, and a two-storey gabled porch to the left of centre. It features large granite windows with three, four, and five lights, incorporating mullions, transoms, and leaded panes, all under hoodmolds. A string course runs along the first-floor level. The porch has a moulded four-centred arch doorway with a hoodmould, double doors with cover-moulds and wrought-iron strap hinges, and a large four-light window above. The gable above the porch contains a granite panel with a carved shield, and there are two flat-roofed dormers. The west elevation incorporates projecting gables on the left and right, and a recessed central section with a moulded four-centred arch loggia. The loggia is rib-vaulted internally with a niche. Above the loggia is a bowed oriel with a crenellated parapet, set beneath a gable. A single-storey granite conservatory is located on the east side, featuring large granite mullion-transom windows and a parapet concealing a glazed roof. The north-facing service ranges have plainer elevations, but also incorporate stone mullion windows with leaded panes.

The interior, which has not been inspected, is said to have moulded plaster rib ceilings, fireplaces, joinery, and a fine staircase. The conservatory has a glazed cast-iron roof.

Francis Oats, who originally worked as a captain at Botallack mine before becoming Inspector of Mines for the Colonial Office, later managed the Victoria Diamond Mine in South Africa and became chairman of De Beers. Porthledden House represents a good example of an early 20th-century gentleman’s house with connections to the mining industry.