Godolphin House

Has been described as a Questionable Masonry Castle, and also as a Questionable Fortified Manor House

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains

NameGodolphin House
Alternative NamesGodolphin Hall; Cairdine Castle; Godolgan
Historic CountryCornwall
Modern AuthorityCornwall
1974 AuthorityCornwall
Civil ParishBreage

Country house, built as a courtyard house in the late C15 and extended considerably in C16. It was further extended in the mid C17 and has some C18 alterations. The house was reduced in size and converted into a farmhouse. Apart from C20 renovations it has been little altered since the early C19. Adjoining the house are C17 or possibly late C16 cobbled pavements and stabling including a fodder store. The forecourt walls and mounting block are C17. (PastScape)

The house was much reduced to open the house up from a courtyard house and this has destroyed some towers and some other elements of the earlier house have been refaced. 'The return and back walls within the colonnade are probably a C16 refacing of earlier semi-defensive work.' (Listed Building Report).

The present house was preceded by a small castle, built around 1300 by Sir Alexander Godolghan. The wall that surrounded the castle enclosed a space of four and a half acres, divided into nine equal plots. The castle itself occupied the central square, leaving the eight others as garden. (Aslet)

Gatehouse Comments

Called a mansion by Leland. There was an earlier house on the site, reputedly demolished in 1475. It is probable the earlier house and the initial house of of the Godolphin had some domestic defensive elements, which have mainly been removed, although decorative crenellations remain. It is a matter of opinion and discussion as to if these meant this house was fortified. However, this was a large house of a wealthy family and is, on occasions, called a castle.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSW601318
Latitude50.1380386352539
Longitude-5.35842990875244
Eastings160100
Northings31840
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink
Copyright Gerry Labrijn All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Gerry Labrijn All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Gerry Labrijn All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Gerry Labrijn All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Gerry Labrijn All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Gerry Labrijn All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Gerry Labrijn All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Gerry Labrijn All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Gerry Labrijn All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image

Most of the sites or buildings recorded in this web site are NOT open to the public and permission to visit a site must always be sought from the landowner or tenant.

Calculate Print

Books

  • Cooper, Nicholas, 1999, Houses of the Gentry, 1480-1680 (Yale University Press) passim
  • Pevsner, N. revised by Enid Radcliffe, 1970, Buildings of England: Cornwall (Harmondsworth)

Antiquarian

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 66, 67
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1907, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 1 p. 188 online copy

Journals

  • Aslet, Clive, 9 Aug 2007, 'The importance of Godolphin House' Daily Telegraph online copy
  • Schofield, S., 1974, 'Godolphin House' The Archaeological Journal Vol. 130 p. 262-4 plan

Other

  • Cooper, N. and Fletcher, M., 1995, Godolphin and its Gardens RCHME Report