History

Medium-sized early C19 country house. Edward Berry, originally from Yorkshire, set up silk mills at Spitalfields London with Robert Vaux. In 1802 Berry, then of Monmouth, bought Court St Lawrence, near Monmouth, and rebuilt it, the house being later occupied by Vaux. Sometime between then and his death in 1818 Berry bought and rebuilt Lower Llancayo. The estate was advertised for auction in 1819, though subsequently owned by Berry's son-in-law the Rev. John Jones of Longstone, Herefs., and his descendants. House is called 'modern' in 1834, and a date of 1844 said to have been found on roof leadwork. Villa plan form with end entry and axial passage behind the front rooms, which thus occupy the whole of the garden front. It is possible that there were two phases a late Georgian house for Edward Berry and a remodelling in the 1830s when a single pile house was doubled. Marked on 1842 Tithe Map as owned by the Rev. John Jones, occupied by William Fisher, with 316 acres (128 hectares).

Exterior

Country house, colourwashed roughcast with graded slate valley roof, hipped at SW and NW angles, paired gables to E end. Deep bracketed timber eaves cornice right around, with panels between brackets. Four roughcast brick end stacks. Three storeys, five-window S garden front, 4-window rear N front, 3-window E entrance front.

S front is plain with sash windows, 12-pane to ground floor 9-pane to first floor, 6-pane to upper floor. Stone plinth, angle quoins, sills and first floor sill band. Centre ground floor window is blank, with curved back. Stone flag pavement in front.

E entrance front has similar plinth, quoins and band. Openings in centre bay only, decorative blank panels to outer bays, and also small blank lunettes above in small pedimental gables over the cornice. Arched panels to ground and first floors, first floor centre with inset long 15-pane sash opening onto porch balcony. Top floor square panels, centre with inset 6-pane sash. Large columned porch, baseless and unfluted Doric columns, pilaster responds, cornice and iron balcony. Arched doorway within, 6-panel door, metal-traceried fanlight, and panelled reveals.

Rear has similar eaves, quoins, and band, but rubble plinth. Sash windows, 9-pane to top floor, 12-pane elsewhere. Stone sills. Ground floor left has attractive semi-circular bow window, of 3 15-pane curved sashes. Adjoining bay has 6-panel door under deep overlight with oval of thin metal tracery, the overlight in a timber pedimented frame with fluted pilasters. Timber added shelf hood between door and overlight. Basement door down stone steps to right.

W end has quoins, band and eaves. 12-pane sash to centre of both upper floors. Ground floor has two single-storey parallel service ranges running W.

Service ranges have graded slate roofs, hipped W gables and arched W doorway between. S face has door, 2 blank windows, 2 triple casements, door and 16-pane window. Stone sills. Within court, N side has door each side of triple casement, S side has 3 doors. N face of N range has 20-pane sash to left, blocked door, blocked door with inserted window, two square triple casement windows, door and another 20-pane sash.

From NE corner of house extends short length of roughcast coped wall to two sandstone ashlar gate piers with cornices and caps.

Interior

Cross passage from E entry behind garden front rooms to W end stair, stone flagged with inner door at E end. This has big metal traceried fanlight and panelled side pieces. Six-panel doors. Stick baluster stair with simple moulded rail rising in 6 flights to attic. Scrolled tread ends. Panelled shutters to main rooms, fireplaces of Regency type with paterae.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a handsome and well-preserved earlier C19 country house, built to the villa plan with end entry, the facade directly onto the park.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29482677

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

• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  [(Shropshire)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1958)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Leeds, Bradford and the North (Pevsner Architectural Guides / Buildings of England)