Historic Country House
Questionnaire
Year erected: 1745
What is the history of the property?
Trehellas House has a long and interesting history, being at various times a farm house, a court house and the local village inn where many village functions were held.
When Maclean wrote his history of the parish of Egloshayle, Trehellas was know as the Washaway Inn where the monthly Petty sessions for the hundred of Trigg were still being held, The Long room of the inn was still used as a magistrates court into the 20th century dealing with minor offences such as drunkenness. The old joke was that those convicted or acquited consoled themselves or celebrated by popping downstairs for a drink.
In January 1760 a meeting of the justices and deputy Lieutenants was convened there. Frequent surveys for the sale of timber were also held at the inn. In the seventeen hundreds a venison club whose members comprised of the local gentry, dined at the inn several times a year. On the 9th November 1775 it seems that Sir William Molesworth of Pencarrow was set up as a candidate for membership and on December the 15th he was elected.
By the 1930s Trehellas was just a farmhouse, The farm being worked by the Lobb brothers, one of whom lived at Dunmere and did a milk round into Bodmin. He also ran a service taking batteries into Bodmin to be recharged, as at that time radios needed a wet cell that only held about 2 weeks charge.
At the end of WWII, a youth club with about 70 members was set up. The club met in the Long Room of Trehellas. The washaway families set up the very successful Washaway Concert parties which toured their shows around the local villages. Dances were held in the Long room. Sadly these activities had to come to an end as the Lobb brothers felt that they disturbed the cows in the dairy below.
Trehellas was eventually sold to someone who wanted to turn it into a restaurant which was called Wash Away Your Troubles. After this it became the taste of Malaya, a restaurant specialising in Malayan food. Now it is the extremely popular and successful Trehellas House Hotel and restaurant owned and run by Alistair Hunter.
What was the era and/or the architectural style in which the property was built?
Traditional Cornish stone
Is the property surrounded by other historic buildings?
Pencarrow House at the rear of the hotel
Has restoration work taken place?
No
Are there any elements of particular historical importance at the building?
The Court Room
Are there any important guests or previous owners worth mentioning?
Lots of important guests all the time, Dames to Lords to M.Ps
Has the property received any certifications for its historical status?
Grade 2 listed
Would you describe your property as (or has it ever been in the past) a: Farmhouse
Show more
