What Three Words: ///final.fetching.stables
OS Grid Reference: SX103598
One of the oldest houses in Lostwithiel, this was built on the site of a Tudor malthouse that once supplied local inns and taverns
The east wing of the Taprell family mansion, containing its malthouse, was demolished in the mid-17th Century. In 1653, the site was leased to Walter Kendall of Pelyn House, who was then the Mayor of Lostwithiel. The Kendall family held the post of Keeper of Restormel Castle under King Edward III and later acquired the Pelyn estate and built Pelyn House. Walter Kendall was a Lt Col. in the Royalist Army during the Civil War and was returned to Parliament as MP for Lostwithiel after the Restoration. He was brother-in-law of Sir John Carew of Antony, and his daughter Elizabeth was married to John Taprell.
In 1658, Walter Kendall built a substantial mansion on this site. In 1660, this was the largest house in Lostwithiel, rated for tax purposes at 13 hearths. His father, Nicholas Kendall, had been involved with members of the Taprell family, also mayors of the town, in profiting from the leases of council-owned property and were convicted of fraud in the High Court in London. This must have created considerable ill-will against the families, and Walter Kendall sought to show his legitimate right to his mansion by placing a large stone statement to that effect on the wall of his house. This lease stone is still visible on a quoin to the left of the building, though it was originally more prominently placed. The lease stone states that Walter had a 3000-year lease, effectively a freehold on the property.
The house remained a private residence until the early 20th century, when it was converted into a shop with entrance doors added on each side of the building. It was originally named ‘the Malthouse’ and became ‘The Old Malthouse’ in the 1920s, echoing the original building on the site, and continued in use as an antique shop and hairdressers until recent times, when it reverted to private use. The building is Grade II listed, number 1146330 (https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1146330?section=official-list-entry opens in a new page).
The Old Malthouse in the 1960s