Enys House, in Penryn, Cornwall is a grade II listed house that was built around 1840. The Enys family have owned these lands for around 750 years, but the house has been uninhabited since 1953. For the first time in 2013 visitors have been able to view inside the house, which has had extensive work undertaken just to make it safe.
This blog has been created to highlight what a fantastic opportunity this is for anyone interested in architectural heritage, and the practical and financial challenges that face houses in this condition.
Enys House 2013
Enys House in its prime, c. 1900
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The hallway with original staircase still in situ.
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| Looking down at the hall |
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| The hallway around 1900. |
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| The library, with original bookcases. |
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| Wonderful original bellboard, made locally in Falmouth. |
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| The Library in 1900, complete with some books! |
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| The Drawing Room, c. 1900 |
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Corner detail from the Drawing Room, much of the old plasterwork has now been removed, exposing the original stonework throughout the house.
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| The Dining Room, c. 1900 |
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| Heading upstairs... |
Enys house was last used as a small preparatory school for boys between 1950-1953, and many of the remaining fittings in the bedrooms seem to date from that period.
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A dumb waiter, a very impressive addition to a provincial country house...
...with original mechanical workings still visible!
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| Work is happening right now on the roof (May 2013), and this corridor skylight shows the evidence! |
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The scale of the works needed to restore Enys to its former glory becomes ever more obvious as you proceed through the house. A great deal of work has already been done just to get it as good as this, new floorboards can be seen here for instance.
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The only room in the house with panelling still substantially intact.
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A luxury bath from the past...
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| One of the many bedrooms, all in a similar state of repair. |
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| Upstairs corridor, it felt surprisingly light and and airy, not least because of the skylight at the end of the passage. |
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| More evidence of the huge scale of works that need to be undertaken. |
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| Another relic from past times. |
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| Downstairs kitchen area, currently off-limits to visitors due to safety concerns. |
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| Yet another bedroom. |
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| Stairs leading down to the servants' area. |
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| A view of the grounds. |
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| One of a large number of outbuildings. |
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| Clocktower, but the clock no longer works. |
Enys claims to be the oldest established garden in Cornwall, and today the gardens are open throughout the summer months. The bluebell fields are arguably the finest examples in the county, possibly even the country.
We have no connection to Enys, other than living in the area, but would love to see it brought back to life. The Enys Trust has been managing the gardens since 2002, and are asking for suggestions as to what can be done with the house. We believe that it will need a great deal of expertise and money to restore Enys House - and the question remains: what purpose can it have today? Would it qualify for grants? Do you have contacts who could provide guidance? Are you in a position to provide expertise or finance? If so please contact the Enys Trust at the address below. Thanks for reading this blog!
The Enys Trust
St. Gluvias
Penryn
TR10 9LB
Telephone: 01326 259885
Email: info@enysgardens.org.uk
Website: www.enysgardens.org.uk
