Week St Mary Old College

Behind a piece of castellated wall in Week St Mary, hides one of the most historic buildings - The Old College. The Old College was restored by the Landmark Trust who now let it as a holiday cottage. Originally, the house would have been set in a square courtyard, and approached from a courtyard door opposite the front door - where the mainly 19th century house called "New College" now stands (look out for the odd bit of Old College masonry in New College's wall). The windows either side of the door would have been Gothic. If you peek around the back of the Old College, you can see examples of these. The far, west, side of the building would have been much longer, and would have joined to further buildings, filling the west side of the courtyard where there is now just a farm gate.

The story began with the birth of the remarkable Thomasine Bonaventure in Week St Mary in 1450. She married three times, each marriage gaining her more money and status, until she was finally left as the widow of Sir John Percival, the Lord Mayor of London. At this point, Lady Percival returned to Week St Mary and began charity work. In 1506, she founded a school - Week St Mary College, with an endowment to pay for a schoolmaster, graduated from Oxford or Cambridge, who would also pray for her soul in the parish church. 40 years later, it was written about in glowing terms, but then suddenly something mysteriously caused the school's collapse and decay and the children were moved to a school in Launceston.