Boskenna St. Buryan, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

ST BURYAN BOSKENNA SW 42 SW 8/78 Boskenna - GV II* Country house. Datestones 1678, 1858 and 1888. Built for the Paynter family. Granite ashlar to the principal elevations, otherwise granite rubble. Bitumen grouted dry Delabole slate roofs mostly with gable ends, granite coped gables with moulded kneelers to entrance front and wing on right. Cl9 pierced crested clay-ridge tiles. Granite ashlar gable and axial chimneys, some brick chimneys. Bellcote over left-hand gable of rear wing. Plan: Large irregular plan. In 1678 the house was remodelled or rebuilt as a T- shaped plan facing north west with possible hall on the left, parlour on the right, and with a large stair hall behind the middle of the house. This plan survives as the north-west wing. Probably in the C18 and circa early C19 there were deep service wings added at right angles behind either side, however, these wings may have been remodelled from remains of earlier, possibly C16 ranges. These wings survived until 1858 (datestone) when the house was remodelled and the rear right-hand (SW) wing was completely or partly rebuilt in 1888 (datestone ) in the style of the C17 house. Until then this wing was a coach house and stables. At probably the same time the house was extended to the rear in the same style. The right-hand (SW) elevation then became the principal entrance front. The irregular rear left-hand wing appears to be circa mid-late C19 and was retained as a service wing. Exterior: 2-storeys plus attic over parlour. Regular late C17 1:3 bay north-west front has plinth and continuous hoodmould which steps up over the windows. Left-hand window is a Victorian canted bay, with paired central lights and sidelights. The other windows are in C17 chamfered openings. The windows are Victorian 2-light wooden cross windows possibly based on original transomed mullions. Principal 1:3:1:1 gabled south-west entrance front has remodelled C17 gable end on the left, otherwise the front is Victorian but in similar style. Left-hand bay projects slightly and the hoodmould continues from the north west front and steps over a tall 4-light transomed mullioned window which is a Victorian replacement (old painting shows a similar but less deep window). First floor window is a C17 3-light mullioned window with a square hoodmould. Over this window is a datestone 1678 with the arms of the Paynter family and another datestone 1858. The gable window is a similar 2-light C17 window without a hoodmould. Octagonal granite gable finial is Victorian and there are similar finials to the other principal gables. Next 3 bays have gabled dormers with 2-light windows (all the Victorian windows are mullioned with transoms and except for the dormers all the openings have hoodmoulds). Below the left-hand window is a large 5-light window to light the Victorian hall and on the right is a Tudor-arched doorway with 3-light overlight. Next (gable ended) bay projects forward and has 5-light window to each floor. Right-hand bay is set back and has 2-light window to each floor; the upper window is a gabled dormer. There is reused C17 and earlier masonry both to the left-hand (NE) and rear (SE) elevation. North-east front has a C17 gable end on the right with reset C17 doorway on its left and single storey service wing on the left. Left-hand wing has pyramidal roof lantern over the middle of the roof. There are three arched circa mid-C19 12- pane hornless sashes to its front and a similar window towards the right. In between is a canted late Victorian bay window with horned sashes. Mostly Victorian south- east elevation has reused doorway with arched head (towards right) and moulded spandrel stones of former probably C17 4-centred arch above. Right of the doorway the masonry is older (possibly C17) with 3-light mullioned window possibly in situ (If so, this is evidence for a larger plan house in the C17). Service wing projecting forward on the right has lean-to with doorway constructed using C17 chamfered stones. Int