Maristow House

Maristow House is a large country house situated in a landscaped park overlooking the River Tavy. The core of the building dates to the 1760s and was extensively refronted between 1907 and 1909 by the architectural practice George and Yates. The house was purchased in 1798 by Sir Manasseh Messeh Lopes, a Jamaican-born Jew, and remained in the hands of his descendants until 1938.

The house is built of rendered stone with stone dressings, topped with a slate mansard roof. Architectural details include a modillion cornice, a balustraded parapet with pineapple finials, and rusticated quoins. The west front, dating from 1907-9, is arranged with a 2:3:1:3:2 bay arrangement, forming an “E” shape. The wings break forward with pediments containing lunettes. Ground floor windows are flanked by niches containing figures, with a Venetian window to the right. A three-storey central porch features giant Ionic pilasters, a segmental pediment bearing the Ruborough Arms, and an iron balcony above a rusticated round-arched doorway. Moulded stone window architraves are found on sash and casement windows, several without glazing bars. Pedimented dormers are present. Rendered chimney stacks are topped with cornices. On the south elevation, a central section projects with oval windows in the attic and a Doric portico. A bow window on the left wing also dates from 1907-9.

The interior suffered a significant fire in the late 20th century. Nevertheless, some original features from the 18th and early 20th centuries remain. These include a staircase with three balusters per tread, carved bracket tread ends, a moulded soffit, and a ramped handrail leading to column newels. The south range retains 18th-century moulded door architraves with entablatures above the doors, a marble chimney piece with swags and masks, and moulded plasterwork. The ground floor south-west room has an early 20th-century plaster ceiling. The ground floor north-east rooms feature 18th-century moulded panelling, overdoors with segmental open pediments, a chimney piece with an eared architrave, an overmantel with carved wooden festoons, and a moulded plaster ceiling.

Maristow House served as the former seat of the Lopes family.