History

Archaeological excavation revealed a central hearth and other evidence suggests that the hall is on the site of an earlier building. The present house probably originated in the early C16, it has been described by John Leland as 'a fair house' in the 1530s. It is thought to have been built for Richard ap Howel. The double portrait wallpainting of mid C16 date is thought to represent Richard's son, Elis ap Richard (d1558), with his bride Jane Hanmer. An extension with upper-floor chapel is thought to be late C16 and in the C17 a storeyed porch was added. It was probably at this time that a floor was inserted into the open hall; a fine C17 stair which is recorded in the 1962 survey and by E Hubbard would have served this and may have been contemporary with early C17 panelling which was recorded at the time of the 1987 RCHMW survey. C18 mantels are mentioned by some sources suggesting some C18 remodelling and this may have been when some of the exterior walls were rebuilt. A view by Ingleby of 1780 shows paired star-shaped stacks and transomed windows. The house was altered post 1986 with removal of most post-C16 work and rebuilding areas of exterior walls and interior trusses to match the original. Rooms in the service end form C20 accommodation.

Exterior

Timber-framing, slate roof with some roof-lights; brick chimneys including paired star shaped C20 stacks to right. H-plan house with 2-storey wings flanking open central hall. Kitchen extension to left with steeply pitched slate-clad former chimney bay. Gabled jettied wings with timber-framing in herringbone patterns, also in the main range, gabled storeyed porch in the angle of the service end and cross wing to left. C20 windows throughout. Rear elevation of similar character but little original timber-framing survives apart from the jettied chapel wing to the left. A large C20 brick-built off-centre lateral stack said to be built from the foundations of an original.

Interior

Open hall flanked by storeyed wings and a cross-passage screened from hall by a spere truss. The hall has arched-braced trusses with cusping above the braces, the upper part of the spere truss not original. At the dais end there is an upper truss suggesting there were large windows at this end; at the service end one cusped windbrace survives; windbraces in the remainder of the roof structure are of C20 to a similar pattern. At dais ends are upper floor chambers of unequal size, that to N has remains of wall paintings including depictions of pomegranates and foliage. On the S wall alternating strips of red oxide and blue/grey with graffiti including some of C16 character. An opening leads to a scarce example of a post-reformation private chapel which has a painting representing the celestial city on the ceiling and sacred monograms in the tympana. The 2-bay chamber to the S also has remnants of wall paintings including the only example of an exceptionally well-preserved double-portrait of a man and a woman in mid C16 dress; these are of national importance. (For a full description of the wallpaintings see NMR file SJ34SE). At the service end of the hall is a range of openings, the central one leads to a passage with boarded ceiling leading to a former kitchen. The rooms above the service area appear to have been used as parlours since there is a small trace of wallpainting in the S room. The former kitchen is storeyed with chamfered and stopped secondary ceiling beams of C17 character, above this is a room with panelling of C17 character.

Reasons for Listing

Listed grade II* for surviving evidence of an early C16 timber-framed large house and for the exceptionally important and well-preserved wallpaintings.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17744480

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

• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)