History

Garn was the principal seat of the Griffith family, members of which are recorded as 'of Garn' from the late C16 onwards. The present house incorporates fabric to the rear of mid C17 date; a re-cut inscribed tablet bears the date 1643 and the initials E F G (for Edward and Frances Griffith, married 1621). The present house is a fine remodelling by Robert West 1738-9, built for John and Mary Griffith after a fire in 1738. However, the house incorporates an earlier, late C17 NE elevation, with a fine panelled parlour in the E corner. After the fire West appears in fact to have reoriented the house, switching its axis from NE/SW to the present SE/NW, with the new SE (entrance) front receiving a fine pedimented facade. In 1889 the Denbigh architect Richard Lloyd Williams added a 4-bay storeyed addition to the L of the facade; for William Douglas Wynne Griffith, High Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1884.

Exterior

Elegant medium-sized country house, principally in early Georgian classical style, though with C17 and late Victorian elements. Of limestone rubble construction with squared limestone facings to the NE (garden) front and a fine red brick entrance facade; sandstone dressings. Hipped, slated roofs with brick chimneys.

The main facade, of 1738-9, is symmetrical and of 2 storeys. Seven bays (2-3-2), the ends and central three bays defined by giant pilasters; central moulded pediment with blind oculus. The windows are plain sashes (glazing bars lost) the middle 3 with closer spacing than those to the outer bays; fluted keystones and aprons (3rd and 5th semi-circular and scalloped). Tall central entrance with 2 segmental stone steps up. The doorway has a shouldered architrave, pulvinated frieze and strong segmental pediment; door of 8 fielded panels with a 2 pane overlight. Brick parapet above a moulded cornice.

The NE (garden) elevation belongs to the late C17 and has a low-walled terrace in front with central stepped access (C19). Two-and-a-half storey symmetrical arrangement with 5-bay ground and first floors and 3 hipped attic dormers, the outer ones larger. Central entrance with rusticated sandstone surround and 8-panel fielded door; 2-pane overlight. Sash windows as before, with sandstone keystones to the upper windows and pilasters at the ends. The 2 right-hand ground floor windows are early C19 enlargements. Stepped-down and adjoining this elevation to the R is a 2-storey early C19 addition with two tall 2-pane late C19 sashes to the first floor; 8-pane modern window to the ground floor at L and a 12-pane early C19 sash to its R.

Adjoining this addition to the R is a glazed conservatory link-block, the left-hand section of which is double the height of the right-hand part. This leads to an adjoining hipped-roofed former billiard room, with an adjoining L-shaped storeyed cottage extension beyond, all of the late C19. The billiard room has two tall 2-pane sashes to the garden side and the cottage section has three 4-pane sashes, 2 to the upper floor and one to the ground floor. The rear of this range is rendered and has an entrance with open lean-to porch to the SE return. A C20, single-storey, slated and rendered addition adjoins to the NE.

The rear of the main house is asymmetrical and has two projecting wings of rubble, the larger, hipped-roofed wing (to the L) being the end wall of the early C19 addition to the garden facade. This has a tall brick end chimney and large blocked openings to the first floor; 2-and 3-light segmental windows to the ground floor. The right-hand wing is gabled and has two 2-pane late C19 sashes to the first floor and one to the ground floor. Between the upper windows is an inset C18 plaque with the incised initials EFG and the date 1643.

Adjoining the main front to the L is the 2-storey Victorian wing. This has a red brick facade with terracotta detailing and is of 4 bays, with those to the L advanced in a square projection; sashes as before with aprons and keystones in imitation of the C18 work. Behind the projection is a Wrenaissance voluted pediment. To the rear is a square tower with conical roof and weather-vane. The rear elevation of this wing is of rubble and has an advanced, hipped-roofed section projecting outwards and partly overlapping the dated (1643) wing; this with mounted bell. Sashes as before and an entrance with hipped pentise. The side elevation of this wing is slate-hung and has a canted single-storey bay to the ground floor with 12-pane sashes to each face.

Interior

The entrance hall has a counter-changed flagged floor of black and sandstone sets and has large-field oak dado panelling with ribbed-plasterwork forming large panels above. Doorways to L and R at the front (to dining room and oak parlour respectively) and the rear of the hall. The former have oak moulded architraves and fielded 6-panel doors, deeply-recessed and with fielded panelled reveals; the front-facing windows have panelled reveals, shutters and window seats. The ceiling is divided laterally into 3 compartments and is richly and very extensively decorated with original plasterwork of unusual kind. This combines conventional egg and dart and other motifs with rustic, though delicately-worked tendrils, scrollwork and hearts.

The doorways at the far end of the hall are in the form of arches with panelled reveals as before. That to the R gives onto a passage leading to the garden entrance. This has a similar flagged floor and panelling and has cornice plasterwork with foliated corner enrichments; Victorian part-glazed screen door. The left-hand arch leads to a service passage via panelled double doors. The oak parlour (R of the entrance) has fine late C17 large-field oak panelling with moulded dado rail and cornice and raised and fielded panels. Grey figured marble fireplace with basket arch and fielded keystone. This is flanked by doors, that to the R leading to the garden passage and that to the L opening onto a semi-circular arched cupboard niche. This has a finely-fluted soffit and 3 shelves above a cupboard, the shelves with shaped fronts. The ceiling has a large oval centrepiece of decorative plasterwork with egg-and-dart motifs and ribbed spandrel panels. Foliate embellishments to the centre and margins appear to be additions to the late Stuart plasterwork, carried out as part of the post-fire remodelling c1739.

The present dining room (L of the main entrance) was formerly divided into a roughly square room with a narrow closet room beyond. These were knocked into one probably c1889 during the Victorian alterations, at which time a buffet niche was created at the far end. Both sections retain their C18 plasterwork cornices, with egg-and-dart and foliate boss decoration, as well as applied relief heads; ceiling with ribbed panels having enriched corners and central bosses. Bolection-moulded sandstone fireplace (recently widened) with basket arch. Above this are the Griffith arms in relief plasterwork within a foliated frame; included are the initials JMG and the date 1739. The room has dado panelling as before and in the R corner a large niche with glazed doors above a cupboard. This has fluted pilasters with ionic volutes, and a moulded archivolt with surmounting 3-bay open arcade.

The kitchen is very unusual in that, whilst clearly being intended as a kitchen from the first, it nevertheless has decorative plasterwork similar to that found elsewhere in the polite rooms. Above the conventional triple-arched fireplace arrangement appear the initials IGM and the date 1739. It is possible that the room was intended to double up as a kind of servants' hall. In one corner is a wooden cornice with wavy decoration belonging to a former built-in L-shaped dresser, removed some forty years ago.

The staircase is a very fine wide oak dogleg type, with fluted balusters and moulded and swept-up rail; oak panelled dado with fluted pilasters at intervals, and a returned first-floor gallery. Fine plasterwork to the ceiling, as before, with ribbed framing to the wall spaces. Leading off the landing is a large early C19 first-floor drawing room. This has fine egg-and-dart and honeysuckle cornice plasterwork and a fine foliate ceiling rose. Good carved wooden Adam chimneypiece with grey/white marble surround; ionic pilasters and swagged frieze with muse figures in relief and a central panel depicting the Rape of the Sabines. Two Large contemporary gilt pier glasses.

The chamber above the Oak Parlour has (painted) large-field panelling with reveals, shutters and window seats; simple decorative plasterwork cornicing, as before. Leading from the service passage is an early C18 secondary stair. This is full-height and of dog-leg type; oak with turned balusters.

Includes coat of arms dated 1739 JGM (John and Mary Griffiths) ESE room has fielded panelling and apsidal recess with waisted couch head. Broad wooden stair with dado and slender turned and fluted balusters.

Irregular rear retains fabric of before fire of 1737, including tablet dated 1643 CEL (PS).

Reasons for Listing

Listed Grade II* as an elegant early Georgian country house retaining fine original interior detail and good original external character; notable also for its retention of substantial elements of its late C17 predecessor, including fine ground and first-floor panelled rooms.

Group value with other listed items at Garn. One of a series of fine, well-preserved country houses in the immediate locality which, together with their abutting estates, played an important socio-economic role in the history of the community.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17741595

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.

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