The main door on the north front of Godolphin House. ©NTPL/Andrew Butler
This week Godolphin House, near Helston in Cornwall, is open to the public for the first time since it was acquired by the National Trust in 2007.
Aerial view of Godolphin House. ©NTPL/Aerial-Cam
The house has been undergoing a huge conservation project costing almost £1 million.
The Dining Room. ©NTPL/Cristian Barnett
The house was built on the site of an earlier castle for the Godolphin (or Godolghan) family in the late fifteenth century. It was rebuilt in the mid-seventeenth century, but has not been altered much since.
The north front. ©NTPL/Aerial-Cam
The estate was later owned by the Osborne family (Dukes of Leeds), with the house being used as a farmhouse. It was ultimately bought and restored by the Schofield family in the twentieth century.
The Saloon during conservation work. ©National Trust
When the National Trust took Godolphin on it was once again in need of attention. When a door was closed one afternoon there was an ominous whooshing sound as the ceiling behind it caved in.
Some of the beams resting on faith. ©National Trust
Some beams were found to be more or less suspended in thin air, their fixings into the walls having rotted clean away.
Work underway on the roof. ©National Trust
The conservation project involved treating and replacing rooftiles, floorboards, walls and woodwork.
Water trough in the garden. ©NTPL/Andrew Butler
The house is open this week, until 8 July, 10 am – 4 pm, by timed ticket (call 01736 763194 or visit the Godolphine web pages for more information). After this week the house will be closed again to allow the furniture and fittings to be brought back in.
July 5, 2011 at 17:27 |
A mossy,ferny and damp place;best in sun and showers.John schofield, the son of the rescuers of godolphin, was a conservation architect.On the the garden side of the house must be an alteration by him (?) that is in the spirit of SPAB and the 1970s.A long horizontal slit of a window.
July 5, 2011 at 22:02 |
If I lived a bit closer I would be trying to get a ticket to look around it before the furniture arrived.
July 6, 2011 at 11:34 |
Graham, yes the Schofileds are just as much part of thistory of the place as the previous owners.
Cherie, yes this week is for architectural purists, plasterwork spotters and beam fanciers
July 6, 2011 at 14:54 |
I am reasonably confident that my parents visited Godolphin when it was opened for a period in 2007, soon after it was bought by the National Trust
If I remember correctly, only a few rooms were open on the ground floor; the first floor was too dangerous.
July 7, 2011 at 14:16 |
Andrew, hopefully they can or have now come back, to see more
August 10, 2011 at 16:56 |
A question: Is that dining room floor wood, brick or tile? It’s hard to tell from the (gorgeous) image.
August 11, 2011 at 12:43 |
Anna, I am glad you like the image. I think it the floor is made of wood blocks, but I will check with the colleagues at Godolphin and let you know.