List Entry Summary
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Name: RIVIERE HOUSE
List Entry Number: 1310600
Location
RIVIERE HOUSE
The building may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
County:
District: Cornwall
District Type: Unitary Authority
Parish: Hayle
National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.
Grade: II
Date first listed: 27-Jun-1984
Date of most recent amendment: 14-Jan-1988
Legacy System Information
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System: LBS
UID: 70251
Asset Groupings
This List entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.
List Entry Description
Summary of Building
Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
Reasons for Designation
Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
History
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Details
HAYLE PHILLACK
SW 5638-5738
9/147 Riviere House
27.6.1984
GV II
House. 1791. Built for John Edwards, the manager of The Cornish Copper
Company. Stuccoed entrance front, slatehanging to garden front, otherwise
killas and granite rubble with granite dressings and copper slag blocks to basement and to circa 1800 extension. Hipped grouted scantle slate roofs with wide bracketted eaves there is a tradition that the roof was originally
copper. Cast-iron ogee gutters. Brick chimneys over the front wall, left and original rear wall, left and right.
Plan: Rectangular double depth plan plus 2-room-plan service wing. or offices added to rear circa 1800. Central entrance hall leading to service stair at
rear and main stair hall behind the right hand room (probably originally a study); reception rooms to garden front on left and original kitchen behind
main stair hall.
Exterior: 3-storeys over cellar. Symmetrical 3-window north east front with central doorway. Granite ashlar plinth; stucco eaves cornice to bracketted
eaves soffit. Original 6-panel door and fanlight. C19 distyle Tuscan porch
with original entablature but columns replaced C20. Tall window opening to
ground and first floors, shorter windows to second floor. Window openings
left and right of doorway are blind. Original 12-pane sash over doorway,
horned replacement above. Most windows of the house are original hornless
sashes with glazing bars. Symmetrical 3 window south-east garden front has
all its original sashes and is completely slate-hung. North-west elevation
has tall central stair sash over a cellar entrance. Right of the cellar
entrance is a canted bay window with polygonal roof. Rear is a lower 2-storey
3 window front with central doorway and pair of hipped roofs with service
stair window of original house set back between. Copper slag blocks to front
and left, slatehanging to right-hand side. Mostly original sashes.
Interior: Virtually complete with most of its original features including:
stair with moulded handrail running over square moulded newel cap (possibly
later rectangular balusters); panelled doors; panelled window shutters;
moulded ceiling cornices and some old chimney pieces.
At the time when John Edwards occupied Riviere House there is a recorded
incident of when Davies Gilbert (of Tredrea, St Erth q.v.) took the young
Humphry Davy to the house, where he saw for the first time, a well equipped laboratory including apparatus which he had previously seen only in
engravings. Davy expressed his "tumultuous delight" and worked an air pump"
with the simplicity and joy of a child engaged in the examination of a new
and favourite toy". The next resident of Riviere House was Joseph Carne,
F.R.S. (see Carne tomb, Phillack, q.v.).
Sources: Old Cornwall article Vol. IX No 3 Autumn - 1980, by Brian Sullivan.
Riviere House was in early C20 the home of Compton McKenzie.
Listing NGR: SW5624038097
Selected Sources
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Map
National Grid Reference: SW 56240 38097
The below map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. For a copy of the full scale map, please see the attached PDF - 1310600.pdf - Please be aware that it may take a few minutes for the download to complete.
© Crown Copyright and database right 2018. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900.
© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2018. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.
This copy shows the entry on 03-May-2024 at 03:49:51.