Penrae

Penrae is a house, likely dating from the 17th century with an early 18th-century wing, and remodelled internally in the 19th century. It is constructed of rendered rubble walls with a thatched, gable-ended roof. There are three rendered rubble stacks, one at the left gable end of the main block, one at the gable of the wing, and a lateral, slightly projecting stack at the front. A rendered brick stack has been inserted at the left gable end of the main block. Originally built with a three-room and through-passage plan, the lower end is to the right, with a lateral stack to the front of the hall. The hall was originally heated by a gable-end fireplace. An early 18th-century heated room was added to the rear of the inner room. Around the early 19th century, the hall, passage, and lower room were remodelled, and a staircase inserted into the passage. A stack was added to the lower room, converting it into a parlour; the wing and inner room became the service end. A front passage door was blocked in the late 20th century. The house was turned around in the 19th century, and now presents a three-window facade to the rear, featuring early 20th-century two-light casement windows with glazing bars. A 20th-century part-glazed door to the left of centre leads to the passage. The early 18th-century wing projects from the right end. The interior of the main block has few original features visible due to the 19th-century remodelling. The hall has an open fireplace with a roughly chamfered, likely replacement lintel. In the first-floor chamber of the wing is decorative plasterwork on the gable end wall, bearing the initials WM 1704 R. This is anomalous as William was no longer king in 1704. Below the initials is a lion, and beneath that, three small pelicans. Above the initials are three floral plaques. To the right and left of this inscription are blocked window openings, and a further opening on the side wall to the left, all originally decorated above with a round flower either side of a larger floral plaque. The plasterwork above the left and right-hand windows is damaged and not intact. The roof structure has fairly substantial straight principals, but there is no roof access. Despite a lack of early internal features, the house preserves a traditional exterior, and the form of its plasterwork adds considerably to its interest.