History

Orangery and summerhouse, designed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, architect and owner of the Brondanw estate; erected c1910. He created here one of Wales' most impressive gardens distinctive for its interlinked terraces, compartments and axial vistas that are aligned on the surrounding mountains of Moel Hebog, Moelwyn, Cnicht and Snowdon.

Exterior

Rectangular 2-storey building of local rough-dressed rubble with hipped, graded roof of small slates; feathered eaves with oversailing eaves courses and tiled ridges with reconstituted stone urn finials. Symmetrical 3-bay main (NE) front with 3 arched entrances with projecting keys and imposts; recessed multi-pane French doors. Above, 3 eliptical windows with recessed small-pane glazing; half-hipped slated dormer to centre of roof with octagonal window and spoked glazing bars. External parapetted stair to rear (SW) face leading to first-floor boarded entrance with oversailing parapet to NW; open entrance and square window to recess below stair. To the right of the stair on the ground floor is an arched entrance with French door as before; to the R of the first-floor entrance is a flush lateral chimney with moulded capping and narrow 6-pane casement beyond. Arched multi-pane window to SE gable with blind square window above; this with fresco painting. The NW gable is taller and the ground slopes away from it towards the main road (A 4085). The ground floor is consequently raised on this side; French door as before, giving onto a corbelled balcony with simple iron balustrade.

In front of the orangery a long flight of 16 slate steps descends in two stages to the lower garden level to the NE; plain wrought-iron handrail with urn finials.

Reasons for Listing

Listed Grade II* as a fine early work by the renowned architect and conservationist Sir Clough Williams-Ellis and as the most important single garden structure at Plas Brondanw.

Group value with other listed items at Plas Bondanw Gardens.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17738704

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

• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  For the Record
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)