History

A medieval castle site, of which the small remains are separately listed. A large square house was built to the NE in the C17 or earlier C18. Dale was owned by the Walter family from c1500 until sold in 1669 to David Paynter of Broomhill, and then passed in 1705 to his son-in-law William Allen of Gelliswick. In 1767 it passed to John Lloyd of Mabws, Cardiganshire and has been held by his descendants, the Lloyd-Philipps family since. The old castle was reduced to a shell in the early C20 while the main part of the castle was thoroughly remodelled about 1910 by Rhodri Lloyd-Philipps, apparently to his own designs, possibly assisted by the agent, Hugh Thomas of Haverfordwest. A view by John Fenton of c1810 shows the house as a square battlemented block with small corner domes, possibly then of 3 storeys, though now only 2, and a view of 1857 shows a lower battlemented range where the present NW service wing stands. A watercolour of c1880 by Lady Catherine Allen of Cresselly shows the NW wing apparently taller than in the 1857 view. An early C20 postcard of the E front before remodelling shows the facade much as at present but with small-paned sashes and no hoodmoulds.

Exterior

Country house, roughcast rubble stone with Tudor style dressings of c1910 in cement. Broad square plan with added NW rear wing. Two storeys with slightly raised square corner towers, corbelled and battlemented in cement, similar, but lower battlements between towers. Windows are large 4-pane sashes with brattishing across the lower rail of the top sash, cement hoodmoulds and sills. Cement band under first floor windows. W entrance front is partly obscured by service wing to left. 3 first floor windows over early C20 advanced Tudor-style loggia and projecting porch. Loggia has 2 Tudor-arched windows each side, paired sashes with cusping to top sashes and cusping in spandrels. Piers between windows and coped parapet. Porch is of shallow porte-cochere type with Tudor arched entry N and S and big shouldered panel to front with small armorial plaque. Battlements and square corner turrets. Heavy panelled double doors within with panelled Tudor-arched head. S front has big centre 2-storey bay, c1910, with 2-pane sashes, door with side-lights to ground floor left, one 2-pane sash above. Two 4-pane sashes to ground floor right, one 2-pane sash above to left. E front to garden is regular 4-window range of 4-pane sashes. Angle towers have small arched panels to ground floor and small blank loops first floor. N side has first floor 3-window range of 4-pane sashes and ground floor centre and right big c1910 3-light mullion and transom windows.

NW wing is slightly lower and battlemented. E front has 3 first floor 4-pane sashes, one to left, 2 to right, over a mock loggia, 4-bay with Tudor arches, battlements and dividing piers with taller crenellated tops. 3 bays are blank, 2nd has Tudor-arched sash. Wall is then stepped back with flat-roofed single storey piece in angle and one 4-pane sash in E wall above. Plain N end. S end, at right angles to W loggia has paired hoodmoulded first floor windows.

Interior

Square-plan with passage from former N entry, stair-hall off to centre W. Library to NE and drawing-room SE. Narrow morning-room centre S. Dining-Room NW, service rooms in N wing. Most of the detail is early C20. Heavy timber stair with turned balusters. Doorcases and cornices mostly in late C18 style, painted timber. 6-panel hardwood doors. Library has an ashlar fireplace of 1911 by Martyn of Cheltenham in mid C18 style with centre pediment over 3 panels, one with Lloyd-Philipps arms. Doorcases are painted timber in neo-Palladian style, with pulvinated laurel-leaf friezes and cornices. Moulded cornice. Drawing room has an ornate marble fireplace, probably mid C19 with paired columns each side, lion-masks in frieze above with anthemion and other neo-Grec detail to main frieze and centre carved panel with cherubs. Fire-basket below is in arched marble surround with mask keystone and ribboned wreaths in spandrels. Doorcases in this room are neo-Adam with fluting in friezes between wreathed crossed spear panels. Walls are broken up by plaster moulded reeded panels and moulded dado rail, cornice is moulded with ceiling border. Dining Room has bolection-moulded fireplace. Hall has modillion cornice. Morning-room has neo-C18 detail. Passage through to W entry and Tudor-arched main doors.

Reasons for Listing

A substantial country house retaining its castellated character and with a history back to the C12.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Dale Castle at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q2969104

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)