Moynes Court, Nos 1 and 2, Mathern, Monmouthshire

Entry Name: Moynes Court, Nos 1 and 2

Listing Date: 6 October 1953

Last Amended: 10 October 2000

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 2008

Building Class: Domestic

ID on this website: 300002008

Location: About 300m west of the Church of St Tewdric approached up a lane off the road through Mathern immediately to the south of the M48.

County: Monmouthshire

Town: Chepstow

Community: Mathern (Matharn)

Community: Mathern

Traditional County: Monmouthshire

Tagged with: Castle

History

Moynes Court had its origins as the medieval castle of Moyns built by the Bishop of Llandaff, the moat and mound of which survives to the south west (MM187MON ); but the present house had a major rebuilding by the Bishop of Landaff in 1609-10 and was occupied as their main seat after leaving Mathern Palace (qv). The Bishop moved to Cardiff in 1763 and Moynes Court was sold by the diocese in 1889. The c1609 work was probably done by Bishop Francis Godwin of Llandaff. The heraldic plaque over the main entrance to the house has his coat of arms and is dated 1609 to record his rebuilding of the pre-existing country house, but how much of the older house survives within the present one is uncertain. An addition was made to the south west corner of the house in c1890 very much in the character of Eric Francis's work. The house is presently divided into two properties, No 1 having the front door and No 2 the main staircase; this happened in c1960.

Exterior

The house is constructed of squared red sandstone rubble with some Bath stone dressings, and with stone slates on the front slope and plain tiles on the rear. It is a three storey and attic double depth house with a central spine wall which carries the chimneys.
The main three-gabled front has the central gable set forward as a 3-storeyed porch. The door has a flat head, a stop chamfered surround and a dripmould. The door is of four studded planks with strap hinges, this is dated 1610. Above the door is an heraldic plaque with the coat of arms of Bishop Francis Godwin of Llandaff, and it is dated 1609 to record his rebuilding of the house. The lower floors each have two windows on either side of the porch. The ground floor has 5-light mullion-and-transom windows, the first floor has 3-light ones, also in the porch, all with dripmoulds, ovolo mullions and relieving arches, leaded light casements. The central gable has a 2-light window, the outer gables 3-light ones as before. The gables all have copings and the front ones have finials. Only the very tops of the chimneys can be seen from the ground at the front, there is a central 2-flue stack and a 3-flue one behind each gable, all are diamond set.
The rear elevation is much less well ordered and has been changed. It has two central 4-storey gables which do not project, and the division between Nos 1 and 2 comes roughly between them. To the left (No 1) a single bay gabled wing projects. This has a tall stack and was perhaps the bakehouse, modern window on the ground floor and in the gable, 2-light stone mullioned window above. The left hand bay has two modern windows on the ground floor, a 2-light one above and a modern casement in an eaves gable. The taller central gable has a 4-light reproduction stone mullioned window on the ground floor, a 3-light one above and two and one timber 2 2 casements in the gable. The right hand main gable (No 2) is the staircase. Modern lean-to porch on the ground floor, a 3-light and a 2-light window above. The right hand corner is a bay which was added in c1890 and is in ashlar on the garden side. It has timber ovolo mullioned windows with cross frames except for the ground floor on the garden side. There is a 3-light mullion-and-transom window in timber at the gable end of the original block and 3-light stone windows above this. All the timber windows are very much in the character of Eric Francis's work at Mathern Palace (qv) and the addition may have been designed by him. The north gable end was not seen.

Interior

The interiors of both parts of the house retain a number of period features, some of which are probably late C19 reproduction, in the main Hall/Dining Room (No 1) for instance. Panelled doors with raised strap-work, ceiling beams and fireplaces in the Stuart manner, the Drawing Room fireplace of No 1 has a fireback dated 1649. There are doorways with chamfered and moulded frames. There are some early C18 2-panel doors. The main staircase (No 2) is in straight flights round a central solid core, rising to the attic. The largest room was the Long Gallery in the attic which is now divided by a partition wall. This has seven bays (four to No 1 and three to No 2) of arch braced collar beams, principal rafters, and butt purlins in two tiers. Separate room over the porch, end gable windows. There are two small fireplaces with chamfered frames. Small cellar to No 1.

Reasons for Listing

Included and highly graded as an example of an early C17 house important both architecturally and historically. It is an extremely well preserved and characteristic house of the period, and it was the main seat of the Bishops of Llandaff from 1610, when they moved from the nearby Mathern Palace (qv), until 1763, when they removed permanently to Cardiff.
The moat and mound to SW is scheduled Ancient Monument Mm 187 (Mon).

External Links

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.