History

Built for Sir Digby Mackworth, Bart. in c1820; architect unknown. Some alterations c1840, when the entrance front was brought forward, as two wings flanking a single storeyed hall.

Exterior

Small country house, essentially an elegant Neoclassical villa. White lined-out stucco throughout, shallow slate roofs recessed behind blocking course; axial stacks. A compact 3 storeyed, 3 bay building, virtually as deep as it is long, with a tripartite plan in each axis.
Garden front faces south: very shallow full height bows flank a central bay. Small paned tripartite hornless sash windows on each floor, those to ground floor carried down to ground level, and fronted by a fine painted wrought iron arcaded veranda with copper roof. 5 bay return elevations (originally presumably 3 bay), defined by regular fenestration, though with some blind window recesses, especially on the west side, where there are also two external doorways giving access to the courtyard between house and temple, and a round-arched stair window.
Entrance front (as brought forward c1840) comprises single storey entrance hall and Doric screen with triglyph frieze and balustrade, clasped between advanced wings. Behind the screen, the entrance has doorway with glazed upper panels and side lights, flanked by round-arched windows with keystones. Similar arcaded Italianate fenestration to ground floor of advanced wings, Venetian windows to first floor, tripartite windows to attic storey, all with hornless sashes. At first floor level, brought forward from the original building line, an added corridor articulated by pilasters and with 12-pane sash windows, links the two wings.

Interior

Plan (as remodelled following alterations to entrance front) comprises 3 bays, each essentially 3 bays deep. Thus the central entrance hall is of 2-bay depth, divided by a screen of fictive marble Ionic columns; small sitting room to its south, overlooking garden. The outer bays are broadly symmetrical, with principal rooms to garden elevation; the drawing room to the SE has ante-room beyond (almost central to the east range). These are balanced to the west by the dining room, and the principal staircase which opens off the hall (fine cantilevered open string stair with slim spindles, swept hand-rail and moulded tread ends). Alongside it to the north (beyond the original front wall of the house) are the back-stairs, balanced in turn in the east range by a small cloakroom. Study and kitchen to NE and NW respectively. The interior retains fine original joinery and plasterwork throughout, including friezes with palmette pattern in each of the main rooms to the south. Drawing room and anteroom both have marble chimney pieces with free-standing fluted Doric columns, panelled dado with moulded panels above. Sitting room in centre of south range has substantial remains of an early decorative scheme with fictive dado panelling (since covered up), together with fine scagliola fireplace. A range of vaulted cellars extends beneath the house.

Reasons for Listing

Listed at grade II* as an exceptionally fine Neoclassical villa retaining a high level of original or early detail, including good interiors. The architectural centre-piece of a small-scale designed landscape.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Glen Usk at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17744041

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

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  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
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  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)