History

Dolbelidr appears to have been the seat of a branch of the Salusburys of Lleweni already in the C14 and was affiliated with (and probably pre-dated) the neighbouring Salusbury house of Galltfaenan. The present house is a late C16 minor gentry house of the storied end-chimney type. It was probably built for Henry Salesbury, physician and grammarian, who wrote his 'Grammatica Britannica' here, published in 1593; his Welsh-Latin dictionary was also produced during the same period. In plan-form the house represents a curious varient of the more typical type, with a central service bay occupying one end of the cross-passage.

The house was habitable until the early years of this century (at which point it was still accessed across the river Elwy via stilts); the building is currently roofless and one truss has fallen-in (11/97).

Exterior

Storeyed end-chimney house of rough-dressed local limestone rubble construction, formerly with small-slate roof; slab-coped and kneelered gable parapets and tall chimneys of finely-dressed stone with original moulded capping. Off-centre entrances, the E side with a fine cyclopean arched lintel; the door is missing. To the R is the original long hall window with diagonally-set oak mullioned and transomed lights, 7 in all. Further, similar windows to L of entrance and to first-floor, some fragmentary. C18 or early C19 external stepped access to first floor of L gable with stone steps and slab coping; contemporary bowed oven projection to the L of this.

Interior

Stopped-chamfered ceiling beams and joists (in places collapsed) with stopped-chamfered fireplace lintels; part of an original post-and-panel partition screen survives, retaining interesting Napoleonic period graffiti. 3-bay original roof of arched-braced collar truss type; partly fallen.

Reasons for Listing

Listed II* for its special historic interest as the home of the Elizabethan grammarian Henry Salesbury, and for its special architectural interest as a fine late C16 example of a vernacular storied end-chimney house.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17739633

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 1: The City of London: City of London v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  [(Bedfordshire, Huntingdon and Peterborough)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1968)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)