Venn House

Venn House

House, now in multiple occupation. Dating from the 17th century with a fireplace dated 1635, the building was completely remodelled and enlarged around 1820, with a mid to late 19th-century rear service wing and later 20th-century alterations.

The building is constructed of snecked granite rubble with granite dressings, partly rendered and slate-hung, with a slate roof featuring ridge and gable stacks. Originally a 3-room house with through passage plan, it was entirely remodelled around 1820, retaining only the hall with hall stack at the ridge to the left. The building was extended by one bay to the left and three bays to the right, the front was made symmetrical, and a central 3-storey porch tower was added, creating a single-depth plan house with a staircase to the rear left accessed by corridor. A late 19th-century rear service wing was added to the right and later extended in L-plan to form a rear service courtyard.

The house is 2 storeys with a symmetrical front of 3:1:3 bays with the central 3-storey porch tower. The porch tower features double studded doors with Gothic glazing panels and a flat-roofed porch on two plain granite piers. The first and second floors have 2-light casements with pointed arches, Y-tracery, octagonal glazing and relieving arches. A moulded cornice and embattled parapet crown the tower. Similar blind windows with raised granite mouldings appear at first and second floors to left and right sides, and a blind oval with similar mouldings is at the second floor. Conservatories with similar glazing are attached to the right and left of the tower, with a similar half-glazed door remaining to the right.

The two bays on each side of the porch break forward, with similar glazed doors inside the conservatories and large 2-light casements with octagonal glazing on the outer sides. Above these are a smaller inner and larger outer gable, each with pointed-arched 2-light casements as on the porch tower, raised coped verges and acorn finials. The outer bays to right and left have similar ground and first floor windows, with the first floor windows in gabled dormers featuring acorn finials. Behind the porch tower sits a cupola with a slate-hung lower section, louvred wooden panels, cornice, lead ogee roof and weathervane. A plinth runs along the entire front elevation.

The right return is rendered with a half-glazed door with triangular hood to the right and a 2-light 20th-century casement at first floor left. The left return has a gable of mixed slatestone rubble with the roof line raising.

The rear features a 2-storey 20th-century addition in the angle to the rear wing, slate-hung, and a small single-storey addition to the right. Two 4-pane lights sit under the eaves of the main house. To the left of the rear wing is a small early 19th-century Gothic stair tower with hipped roof, a pointed-arched tall stair light with similar glazing, a small 4-pane light at upper level to the right, and a Gothic glazed overlight remaining from a former door.

The 2-storey rear service wing with hipped roof has at its left side one 4-pane sash at ground floor and two at first floor. The rear has a 4-pane sash with cambered head at ground and first floor, and a 4-pane sash at first floor to the right side. The wing extends to the right with a 12-pane ground floor light and two 4-pane lights under the eaves on the outer side, plus a small single light to the right. The inner side of the rear wing has ground and first floor 4-pane sashes, with a porch to the right featuring a plain door with overlight and a 4-pane sash above. The inner side of the extended range has a 12-pane light at ground floor left, a blocked door and small single opening above, and two 20th-century lights under the eaves. A lower range features a door and 20th-century casement, with a further range containing a wooden store with two round-headed recesses and three further doors.

An attached single-storey range of outbuildings to the right forms an L-plan.

Interior: The room to the front left of the porch, formerly the hall, contains a fireplace probably at the former gable end or next to the inner room. The fireplace is constructed in granite with roll-mouldings and a flat head. The frieze features a raised half-circle bearing the initials TPD and dated 1635. Segmental lower head with carved wooden heraldic beasts to the sides support panelling with applied mouldings and carved brackets. Pilasters flank a blocked door to the right. The floor is slate.

Other early 19th-century features include a swept staircase in the porch tower with turned balusters rising to the first floor landing. The second floor room in the porch tower has a marble fireplace with central flowers, a panelled overmantel and walls, and a cupboard recess to the rear with reeded pilasters and shaped pediment. A rear dog leg stair of early 19th-century date features a wreathed handrail, turned knopped balusters, cornice and ceiling rose above the stair well. A cornice with bead and reel mouldings appears at ground floor in the corridor. The ground floor to the side of the stair well has a plaster ceiling with beaded panels. Panelled doors sit in moulded architraves throughout.

The rest of the building is not accessible.