History of Tremaine Manor & Country Cottages
Tremaine Manor, previously known as ‘Tremaine Green’ and ‘Tremaine Farm’, was built in the 17th century. The Slade family lived at the farm for many generations, one of which that was born at Tremaine was Christopher Slade who was born in 1810.
Christopher’s father owned the ‘Axe Inn’ as it was known that the time (now known as the Jubilee Inn, Pelynt). Christopher went on to become a shipbuilder (along with his wife, the only female shipbuilder in Cornwall) and landlord of the Russell Inn, Polruan. One of Christopher’s brothers, John Slade, lived at Tremaine for many years and took over not only the farm but also the Axe Inn after his father’s passing. He had nine children who also lived at Tremaine, John and one of his daughters Laura both lived and died at Tremaine.
Facts about the buildings themselves:
- When work in the main bedroom of Farmhouse Cottage began, a very old, forged key (around 250 years old) was found hidden in the floorboards. Just outside of the Farmhouse Cottage, where the duck pond is now, was where horse carts were washed. A few old plough horseshoes were discovered there.
- Next to Farmhouse Cottage is an old dairy and cheese building which is now a bedroom in Ploughman’s Cottage. Hooks remain in the ceiling of the bedroom and were used to hang the curds. The steps outside of the cottage were designed to ease the milk chums onto the carts at the time. Arthur Bettinson who was a Ploughman at Tremaine in 1910 had hobnail boots that still remain in the cottage after his death during the First World War.
- In Blacksmith’s Cottage, a ladder must have been secured on the kitchen wall to go up to the hay loft, if you look closely and carefully you can see the hobnail boot marks that lead all the way up to the bedroom.
- Carpenter’s, Miller’s, and Housekeeper’s were all originally a shippen barn, for cattle and grain with a hay loft on the top floor. Now, if you look behind these cottages you can see the door where they pitched the hay and grain from the horse carts below that are now windows looking our onto The Green.
- Tinner’s and Dairymaid’s Cottages are to be believed to have been stables for the many horses that lived and worked on Tremaine.
- Mariner’s Cottage was built on the foundations of an old piggery.
- Cobbler’s and Gamekeeper’s Cottage were built later, however there was a ruined building there before them- perhaps another stable or workshop.
- Gardener’s is thought to have previously been a cart or tractor shed.
- The very impressive stone archway was built and dismantled at Plymouth dockyard and reassembled at Tremaine, this was something that would be very difficult to complete let alone do now.
- The previous owners of Tremaine Manor had a pet Great Dane named Hamlet who was very popular with the guests. Many photos and letters of and about Hamlet were left with the Manor.
- Lots granite pieces can be found on the Manor’s site to date, from mushroom statues to planters. The granite at Tremaine Manor most likely came from Bodmin moor mines and were cut and sculpted by local workers.