History

Gentry house of 1788 built for Hugh Mears. Jenkin Lloyd Fychan was probably the first to settle on or near this site, c1450. The Mears family were here by 1756, when George Lloyd Mears, presented a new chalice, 2 patens and a flagon to the parish church. He died a bachelor in 1779, and left the estate to his brother, Hugh, High Sheriff of Carmarthenshire in 1787. The present mansion was built in 1788 to replace an earlier 3-gabled building which probably stood on the lower ground to the E. Hugh Mears died in 1792. George Mears was the High Sheriff in 1815. The house was tenanted during most of the C19, finally sold by the Mears family in 1907. Tenants included Sir James John Hamilton, from c1870. Sir John Williams lived here in 1907. A number of lean-to extensions were added in the 1950s and 1960s, most of which are now undergoing demolition. Between 1976 and 1978, much of the building was converted into flats.

Exterior

Large gentry house of c1788 in rubble stone with stuccoed main range, slate roofs and red brick stacks. Roughly U-plan around a small court. Formal E front range, simple late Georgian style. Two-storey, with 5-window main portion projected forward of 1-window wings. Hipped roof with 2 brick ridge stacks. Plinth, first floor band, moulded cornice and coped parapet. Twelve-pane sashes with painted stone or slate sills. Wider centre bay has window over door in large 3-bay timber portico with entablature and dentilled cornice on 4 Roman Doric columns. Pilaster responds. Sides infilled later with glazed panels. Paired half-glazed doors, flanked by arched stucco niches. Fine flight of 7 broad stone steps, flanked by rendered piers with moulded coping. N end has matching full height 3-sided canted bay, with 12-pane sashes, blank wall each side of bay.
Rear wing, set back has brick ridge and right end stacks.Two-storey, 3-window range in painted rubble with matching parapet and brick end stacks. Ground floor window to left is taller and narrower - formerly door.
S end of main range has parallel rear range and double hip to S end of valley roof with nogged brick eaves, parapet of facade returned a short distance only. Red brick stacks in valley and on ridge of rear range. S end has off-centre tall, arched stair-light with interlacing glazing bars to head. Small inserted 4-pane sash set to left of head. Ground floor has three evenly spaced doors - boarded timber door to centre, possibly original, others appear C20 inserts. Rear W stuccoed 2-storey, 4-window range to court, obscured to left by later extensions. First floor left stair-light with arched head, obscured by boarding. Rear wing at right angles has
first floor 12-pane sash to short S face, stripped of plaster. .
Lower 2-storey L-plan range of outbuildings beyond, in rubble stone, formerly rendered, with red nogged brick courses below eaves. Small square 6-pane sashes to loft. Four-window N side with 12-pane sashes to ground floor with cambered brick heads, 6-pane to first floor, with heads concealed by rough portions of stucco. Roof is hipped at SW angle. Return W rear has irregular windows - 4 6-pane sashes to first floor, offset from ends due to 2 massive red brick stacks. Modern C20 door and window visible beneath third window. S end wall has 6-pane sash to first floor, large double 2-pane sash to ground floor, both with cambered brick heads. E wall has large similar sash to ground floor left, bisecting an older low opening. Former door to right with cambered brick head, blocked in red brick, then 4-panel door, resited from house, with original 8-pane overlight and cambered brick head. Remainder of ground floor obscured by partly-demolished C20 structures. First floor has 6-pane sashes to centre and far right. S face of N range links with main house rear wing, joint marked by change in roof height. First floor has 6-pane sash to left near angle.

Interior

Interior under restoration, considerably damaged in mid to later C20. Central hallway has modillion cornice and Corinthian screen with 2 columns and pilaster responds. Beyond, three-sided open-well timber staircase with stick balusters and ramped handrail. Lead-glazed arched headed stair-light has coat of arms in C19 coloured glass. Fine quality stucco cornice and broad, flat-headed arches to reception rooms and similar cornice to bedrooms. Good late C18 fireplaces. Cornice detail of fluted frieze with festooned rosettes similar in style and execution to detail in Whitson Court near Newport, Mons, by Nash, c1791. Six-panel timber doors throughout. Most windows with panelled timber internal shutters. Boarded timber floors to upper storey. Service stair partly removed to accommodate lift - since removed.
Rear range, ground floor has most internal walls removed. Former kitchen has massive later C18 fireplace with broad elliptical stone arch, stone voussoirs and keystone. Side piers with impost bands. Red brick exposed over voussoirs. Floors originally slate flags, with quarry tiles laid over c1953. N room, same range, has fireplace with red brick basket arch. Roof of rear range has bolted trusses with pegs to apex joints of collar trusses.
Main range has vaulted cellars with wide stone access steps and several rooms for wine, fruit and coal storage. Meat hooks and salting slabs evident.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a late Georgian style gentry house of exceptional quality for the area with fine C18 interior features.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Plas Llanstephan at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q7201715

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

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)