PRIDEAUX PLACE
PADSTOW, CORNWALL
The Development
of the House
and Grounds
Whilst
working on the restoration of Prideaux Place, my experience of the House altered
from maze, through rabbit warren, to one of order. It is very easy for the
inexperienced acolyte to get lost in the House, but, after a number of years,
crawling through roof spaces and negotiating corridors and staircases that
disappear and then re-appear, rooms that connect two separate parts of the
House, it eventually becomes clear. In the process, I became very aware of the
form and detail of the House, so much so, that I can walk through every space
in the House now, in my mind, as I write. It became more than mere architectural
survey and reports. The House and the Family invite much closer scrutiny. The
House has changed from a decaying shell ( when I first saw the House ) to a
very lively and warm home, which also happens to be one of our greatest pieces
of architectural heritage.
Mr
Peter Prideaux-Brune became a good friend, and would ask many times, as to when
I was going to publish my “magnum opus”, as he called it. He was so kind in
allowing me to access the documents and the library, becoming more and more
appreciative of the amount of information I managed to uncover and present. It
was always the understanding that the
information would be published one day – I now consider it more appropriate in
this technological age and in the spirit of philanthropy which is also
appropriate to this enlightened age, to present it all on the internet. I
became very involved in the life of Edmond Prideaux, as there were aspects of
his character which I could identify as being my own. There are still areas of
his life which I have not yet fully explored, but as I complete them, I will
add them to these pages.
I
count myself lucky to have been involved in such rewarding work, and to have
met a good and kind family and to have been made so very welcome in their home. I therefore dedicate these pages to Mr Peter
Prideaux-Brune, with my thanks for his friendship, permission and encouragement
in ensuring this history is written, to fill the void that existed before.
If you visit
just one of Cornwall’s great ancestral homes,
make it Prideaux
Place.
Raymond Forward