History

The house stands on the site of a hunting lodge of the princes of Powys, established by Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, d.1073. Legend relates that here Owain ap Cadwgan abducted Nest of the kingdom of Dyfed. At one time it bore the unsubstantiated date of 1563 on the wing. The house was probably built in the earlier C17, and extended to the E in the C19. During the Civil War it was occupied by Capt. John Jones, the regicide and husband of Oliver Cromwell's sister, and a portrait of the Protector by Lely hung there, until 1904. It was later owned by Thomas Jones, 1819 - 1894, of Plas Llanerchrugog, and was later acquired by the Winnstay Estate. It was restored after bomb damage in 1941, and was extensively and sensitively restored by Marcus Deane, architect of Edinburgh in 1993-1997.

Exterior

The house is built with a high plinth of local rubble stonework with large gritstone quoins, with decorative timber framing above on front and back with haunched posts. Graded slate roof with excellent laced valley gutters. The plan consists of a central hall bay, with service bay to the E, later extended by single storey structures, and a contemporary cross parlour wing of 2 bays at the W end. The main entrance door is set in a curious depressed ogee bolection moulded surround, lateral to the centre bay, the oak door, with diagonal grooving, of the 1990's, but an original shaped doorhead central to the bay at the rear. The upper floor is of square framing, 2 panels high, but three on the forward gable end of the wing, all with counterchanging diagonal strutting, producing a lozenge decorative effect. Wing has diagonal strutting to the king post of the gable. The half-bay containing the major service end stack has vertical studding with a centre rail, and similar close studding to the rear. All windows are replaced with painted framed and leaded glazing in 1990's, except for one 3-light Tudor window with blind spandrels in the W gable end, beside the stack. Advanced from the stone W elevation of the wing, are three small gables. Tall battered stacks, rebuilt, with stone crenels. The single-storey extension to the E has a hipped slate roof and further service rooms attached to the front.

Interior

The interior has been totally refurbished in the 1990's, including the installation of a new deeply coffered moulded ceiling over the plain chamfered beams in the drawing room at the NW corner, although the plain timber lintel and stone chamfered jambs survive in the gable fireplace. The narrower front room of the wing has an interesting C17 stone lintel with carved strapwork around a central rose motif, recovered from Scotland, supported on late C19 tapered and moulded pilasters carved with sunflowers. The partition between the central hall bay and the service bay retains wattle and daub infilling to the truss, the members of which are marked up.

Reasons for Listing

Included at Grade II* as an exceptionally fine vernacular house retaining its original plan and C17 character, and particulary for the notable quality of its decorative timber framing, unusual in a remote area.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing

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

• 
  Gloucestershire 2: The Vale and The Forest of Dean: Vale and Forest of Dean Pt. 2 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide