Residential Parlour Block and Extension, Old Place, Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan

History

The mansion of Old Place, also known as Old Plas and Llantwit Major Castle, has its origins as a late C15 / early C16 hall house with parlour and solar block, and was in existence in the 1530s when John Leland travelled Wales for his itinerary. Edmund Van was in residence at this point.

The parlour block of this early house survives, along with an extension of c1598, that forms the right hand end of the E-plan mansion. This end was reinstated for residential use between c2012-2021.

Substantial elements of the parlour block’s first phase are evident: 2 corbels of the original (lower) floor structure; a fireplace and doorway at first floor (blocked when the floor was raised in the mid-C16); a lateral chimney and fireplace on S wall. The W wall, which incorporates the fabric of an early C16 hall, had a crow stepped gable, as evidenced by the stepped stones surviving to the N gable line on the W face. This roofline is visible on the interior of the W wall. No original door or window surrounds survive, but evidence elsewhere suggests that they would have had 4-centred and flattened ‘Tudor’ style heads.

The parlour block house that survives today is considered to be the work of Edmund Van – part of a scheme of works to the mansion carried out in the mid-C16. Van is thought to have enlarged the hall, rebuilding all or part of the rear (N) wall and most of the front (S) wall of both the hall and parlour. This included the insertion of a first floor above the hall to create a great chamber, raising the existing floor level of the solar / parlour block, and adding a new lateral chimney to it. A service wing was also added to the rear.

In the later C16 the mansion passed to George Van, grandson of Edmund. He moved to the family seat to nearby Marcross, with his son (another) Edmund taking over at Old Place. Through a marriage dowry from Griffith William of Candleston c1598 Edmund is known to have greatly altered Old Place and created the E-plan mansion by adding wings at either end of the main range, which was altered to accommodate a long gallery. It was described as ‘a very sumptuous newe house’ but also noted was the poor build quality and speed of the alterations obvious in the masonry (Stradling in Rees 1932: 77). The parlour / solar block was encompassed in a 3 storey wing at the right end of the remodelled hall range, and a stairwell was added. Both wings include large chimney stacks and fireplaces, a sign of status, which is reflected in Hearth Tax records of 1670 where John Avan, in residence by 1645, was taxed for seven hearths (Stone 1996). The roof was originally finished with pennant stone tiles in diminishing courses and finished with green glazed ridge tiles, the remains of which have been found in pieces on site. Later, Welsh slate was used, again in diminishing courses. The glaze and form of the ridge tiles are comparable to those of Sker House, Glamorgan, which have been dated to 1620-30.

It was likely that John Avan added ancillary buildings to both wings as well as the courtyard walls. Dorothy Avan is known to have been resident after 1670 but the house was then unoccupied from the early C18 and was not shown in a 1729 map of ‘Gentlemen’s Seats’ and ‘Houses of Less Note and Farm Houses’ by Emanuel Bowen, suggesting it had by this time become unoccupied. After this point the mansion became known as Llantwit Castle, stone was robbed for local construction and – after William Vann sold it to the Nicholl family – worked stone of the window and door jambs were taken for reuse at their own Ham House. The interior is recorded has having been fully dismantled by 1834.

The building had become derelict and was unoccupied when restoration started in 2012. Reinstatement of the parlour wing as a dwelling was complete at the time of inspection in 2021. The listing is intended to apply to the residential parlour wing. The remaining elements of Old Place are a Scheduled Monument (GM137).

Exterior

The parlour block forms the eastern part of a 3 storey Elizabethan E-plan house with courtyard and walled forecourt enclosure to the SE front. The house comprises a main E-W range with projecting end wings. Largely ruinous, surviving without roofs, floors, windows or doors, except for the parlour block at the east, which has been reroofed, re-floored and re-windowed. Built of coursed white limestone with neatly squared corners and Forest of Dean stone dressings for the reinstated 3-light mullion windows in reinstated parlour wing. Slate roof to this part. Parlour reinstated to first floor level, remains of window embrasure and gable line evident, roof inserted. Internal returns of kitchen and parlour wings of 2 bays, walls not surviving above first floor. N elevation windowless, large lateral chimney and 2 corbelled chimneys, one at first and one at second floor. First floor cut by stairwell extension. Doorway at E connects parlour with service wing. N elevation of stairwell has 4 windows, staggered in line with the stair. W large window at 1st floor above a door. E elevation of parlour wing (and hall wing) single bay, gabled to right with windows to both first and second floors, flat 4-centred door and small window to side (both C21 reconstructions). Large projecting stack to left rising over parapet with mono-pitch roof behind. Internal elevation of parlour wing into roofless hall of 2 bays, windows to left, doorways to right and 2 light attic window.

Interior

Divided into 3 floors with the access via the E and W elevations of the original parlour block. Internal access to the later parlour extension on both ground and first floors. Timber floor and roof structures, and stair to the first floor. Spiral metal stair to second floor. Reinstated Forest of Dean fireplaces.

Reasons for Listing

Included at II* for its special architectural interest as the partially reinstated survival of a major late C16 house of an important regional type. Comparison of the plan and construction of similar houses elsewhere such as at Oxwich Castle of the mid C16, and later C16/early C17 houses at Great House, Old Beaupre, Sker House and Llanbradach-fawr shows that Old Place is part of a regional development of major houses in this this period.

The parlour block is of special historic interest for its early origins as part of an open hall house of the late C15-early C16 and for its development through the C16 into a storeyed Elizabethan E-plan house, followed by historic decline and abandonment. The evidence of this development and decline clearly survives in the fabric of the building and demonstrates the growing wealth and status and subsequent fall of its owners.

Also important is the early C21 restoration which has been carried out with a sympathetic understanding of the structure and its development. This has followed a precise archaeological scheme of recording and has been undertaken distinguishing the historic original fabric from the new, and at the same time ensuring that the new works are in the style and form of the original as well as being reversible.

Group value with separately listed Forecourt Walls (83389).

External Links

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.