History

Begun in 1820 for Llewelyn Traherne in the style of Edward Haycock the Elder, architect of Shrewsbury, and thought to have been built to his designs; he also designed Clytha House in Monmouthshire. Formerly known as Coedriglan. It replaced an C18 house situated on the high ridge SW, still known as Old Coedarhydyglyn. Improvements c1880 included installation of central heating, no longer in situ. Repaired and refurbished late C20 with conversion of former service quarters into family living accommodation. Improvements have included reinstating some original features, including glazing, and finishes. Some minor remodelling and enlarging of rear courtyard. Tithe Map of 1844 shows layout exactly as now except for an additional rear courtyard service range. It remains the seat of the Traherne family. The surrounding garden and parkland were originally laid out in 1820s, with a walled kitchen to SW possibly relating to the earlier house; continuous later enrichments and developments by the Traherne family include a Japanese garden possibly designed by Alfred Parsons, a pinetum and cypress garden planted 1940s-50s and later C20 terrace.

Exterior

Neo-classical Regency villa. Of stone with stuccoed elevations and stone plinth; hipped roof of Carmarthen slates with broad bracketed eaves and rendered chimney stacks. Twelve and 15-pane sash windows in reveals with narrow glazing bars; the ground floor reception rooms all with long 15-pane sashes; much original glass. Two storeys and cellar and attic to east. The main front to the south is 7-bays including advanced and pedimented penultimate bays to either end; these partly embrace the freestone portico with four unfluted Greek Doric columns, anthemion acroteria/finials to the parapet and a half-glazed door to the central bay; top left and top 2 right windows are blind. Five-window garden front with a broad splayed 2-storey bay to the centre that is further projected by a hipped wooden verandah; this has a swept lead roof and frieze with stylised anthemions and a Greek fret pattern supported by slender triple columns; it is of wood except the motifs which are cast iron. Seven-bay north elevation with advanced and pedimented central bay and tall 15-pane fixed light windows to the dining-room right; blind at upper right and at end left on both storeys . The 6-bay rear to east is 3-storey and attached to rear are single-storey service ranges forming a small stone-flagged now gravelled courtyard. Each is whitewashed rubble with hipped slate roof and overhanging eaves; that to south, former store with salting slab, has 6-panel door with overlight flanked by 6-pane sashes, that to north was the fomer bakehouse, laundry and office and has central round-arched opening flanked by small-pane windows, sliding sash to left and hopper to right.

Interior

Very well preserved neo-classical interiors with fine detailing including elaborate moulded plasterwork especially to ceiling cornices, doorcases with entablatures, panelled doors, of polished mahogany to the formal rooms, panelled reveals and window shutters. Well-designed plan-form providing an ease of circulation and sufficient service accommodation without impairing external symmetry. Entrance is onto a large rectangular hall, the cornice of which has foliage ornament and mutules, bolection-moulded stone fireplace. This opens through double doors onto the large central staircase hall with plaster coffered ceiling with brackets and lantern, the dome replaced in 1924 and modified to a top light in 1990s. Imperial staircase has scrolled newels, wreathed handrail, S-shaped treads and iron uprights to the balustrade enriched with palmettes as well as a band of double guilloche moulding at first floor level. There is an enriched round-arched niche at the half-landing and the stairs rise to a first floor landing with tall round-arched loggia-type openings with panelled soffits and pilasters. Opening off the left of the staircase hall are the 3 rectangular principal rooms, parallel to each other along the W, garden, frontage and with inter-connecting doors. From left, the drawing room has a white marble chimneypiece with mirrored overmantel and decorative small-tile surround to the fireplace opening; elaborate ceiling frieze/cornice with anthemion and acanthus, egg and dart and guilloche ornament and central rose. At centre is the library with dark grey marble fireplace with Greek key pattern, two tiers of cornice moulding and ceiling rose. To right the dining room has a black marble chimneypiece with gilded mirrored overmantel; ceiling frieze has arabesques, garlands and anthemions, egg and dart. At the E end is a broad and deep recess framed by tapered pilasters with similar capital detail and with ribbed ceiling, with direct access via a corridor to kitchen and service rooms. The latter, converted to family accommodation, retains its original layout, including kitchen, servants hall, house-keeper's room, butler's pantry and office, as well as pantries, buttery and cellars; round-arched corridor openings and panelled doors with overlights.

Reasons for Listing

Listed Grade I as an outstanding example of an intact early C19 country mansion. Group value with other listed items on the estate, especially the stable and coach-house range.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Coedarhydyglyn at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q5140546

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

• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)