Settled deep and undisturbed in a sheltered valley just three miles from Newquay, the 16th century home of the Arundell family presents an unusual facade to the locality. Although conforming to the typical E-shaped plan of the Elizabethan era, the external appearance of Trerice has a marked Dutch influence. Decorative scrolled finials enhance the tall curved gables to the projecting front elevations giving the property a slightly unbalanced appearance.

When the house was first completed in 1573, built from the local golden-coloured limestone, it must have looked quite special. Now weathered to a silvery-grey it looks a little less than inviting, but the starkness of its external elevations belie what can be found inside. Trerice conceals a spectacle of craftsmanship, with superb plasterwork throughout the house, many fine portraits, and other fascinating collections of art.

The Great Hall was restored in the first half of the 19th century, and the ornamental ceiling plasterwork looks almost dazzling as daylight streams in through the 16th century east window containing 576 individual panes of glass. Formerly the medieval solar, Sir John extended the huge sitting room by lifting the old ceiling and creating the elaborately plastered barrel ceiling that now gives the Great Chamber an air of undisputed elegance.

As far as can be determined, the estate at Trerice first came to the Arundell's in the mid 14th century, and their descendants held it until 1915. When Sir John Arundell re-built the house, he probably extended an earlier property on the site. Seemingly untouched for centuries, parts of the house were actually reconstructed in the 1950s. Badly damaged towards the end of the 19th century, the north wing was partly demolished but the beautifully carved gables were preserved and eventually replaced. When the National Trust acquired Trerice in 1953, only 20 acres of land remained with the property. Cornwall County Council had divided the original 500-acre estate into small farms when they purchased the old manor farm in 1919. Today there is a lawned area of garden fronting the house, a small orchard, and an upper terrace running along the north side. Behind the house a small complex of farm buildings have survived.

Trerice is not a grand, ostentatious mansion but a modest manor house secluded in the Cornish countryside. No doubt it was a luxurious family home in its time, and an impressive house for entertaining guests, but today it offers an atmosphere of quiet respectability rather than an overwhelming display of wealth.