History

Gentry house dated 1578 on fireplace beam, altered later. Built for Thomas George Bowen, descendant of Sir James ap Owen of Pentre Ifan.

House in George Owen's Second Book (written c1608) was said to have been built about 30 years past and was then owned by Morgan Bowen, brother of Thomas George Bowen who built it. They were sons of George Bowen, illegitimate son of John Bowen, heir of Sir James ap Owen of Pentre Ifan. Sold after 1612 to Webb family and by late C17 to Davies family. Thomas Davies J.P. (d 1730), succeeded by Roger Davies J.P. (d c1788) and then sold to Williams Davies, no relation, whose family held it until c1900.

Exterior

Two storeys, rubble stone, originally roughcast, with slate roofs and one rebuilt N end stone stack. Main range with projecting porch gable to E front and big rear wing projecting to W, making rough cruciform plan. There were originally chimneys on all four gables including the porch. Windows are generally sashes, some replaced in aluminium.

E front has porch projection with cambered head to doorway and C20 window above. Porch within has seats each side and fine ogee-moulded oak doorcase with 6-panel door. Large lean-to to right with 12-pane sash. Main house has, to right of porch, one 6-pane upper window, the rest obscured by lean-to and early C19 drawing room addition at N end. To left of porch, one window range, 12 pane sash below, C20 aluminium window above. N end early C19 addition has full basement storey and raised ground floor with hipped slate roof. Door on E end, 2 window N front, one blank, one 12-pane sash over cambered-headed cellar windows and one French window to W end.

W front has big gabled wing, roughcast and whitewashed, outshut to S. with round floor door and window, and two 12-pane sashes above. To N side wall is long 24-pane stair light. To left of projecting wing is one-window range of main house and then French window of early C19 drawing room.

Curved rubble front garden walls with ball-finial corniced piers to gateway.

Interior

Single main ground floor space, possibly originally subdivided by screen, with five massive chamfered and stopped ceiling beams and scratch-moulded joists. At N end is very large inglenook with fireplace beam dated 1578. S end blocked fireplace. Stairs rise from S side of hall, short flight, then return, with possibly C18 plain square newels and moulded rail. Rear wing behind has heavy ceiling beams resting on a reused massive beam on line of wall between wing and outshut. Fielded panelled door next to stairs. Early C19 drawing room has Regency style panelled door with overlight, plaster cornice with acanthus, vine scroll and reeded border. Black marbled slate fireplace. Cellar beneath has storage recesses in walls. First floor has spine passage and some 6-panel doors and dog-leg stairs to attic which has heavy roof timbers, two trusses with peg-holes for collars in rear wing and triple purlin main roof with curved collars. Top of (apparently never used) lateral chimney shaft visible to left of porch roof.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17742897

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

• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)