History

An Italianate villa said to date from 1845, and designed possibly by James Wilson of Bath or J Medland of Gloucester. It had two small additions made in c1900, by Eric Francis of Chepstow, and has since been little altered except that an outbreak of dry rot in the 1990s has led to a full refurbishment which had begun at the time of resurvey.

Exterior

A large villa in the Italianate style of the 1840s and 1850s built of coursed squared Forest of Dean stone with near ashlar on the garden (south) front and ashlar dressings including long-and-short quoins to the ground floor and quoin pilasters above with a plat band going right round the house at first floor level. The villa is centrally planned with the rooms set about a top-lit staircase. Two storeys with a three storey tower set beside the entrance.
The entrance (east) front is of four bays. From the left, a slightly projecting gabled section with a 6 over 6 pane sash on the ground floor, this has a keyed architrave and an elliptical head, above this is a 2-light window with stone mullion, 1 over 1 sashes, gable with plain bargeboards. The second bay is recessed and contains the entrance door with side lights, panelled double doors in an arched head, 2-light window above as before. The third bay is the tower and is set forward again, the ground floor window in an architrave as before but contains a cross-framed casement, probably an alteration of c1900, the first floor window as before but with a bracketted cill. The second floor is set back slightly and stands proud as a four sided tower. Each face has a tall 3-light window with stone mullions and arched heads, timber bracketted eaves cornice, pyramid roof with a tall weathervane. The fourth bay is a c1900 addition as can be clearly seen from the straight joints and the slightly different stonework. The ground floor has a window as in the tower, but not so tall, the upper floor is blind, canted corner with hipped roof end.
The garden (south) front has three bays with the centre set forward under a gable. The ground floor of this has a tall projecting tripartite window with stone cills, 3 6 3 panes, the centre ones being french casements in the bottom two panes, moulded cornice forming the base of the first floor Venetian window, 3 2 3, the centre window with marginal glazing. Stone stack on the ridge to the right of the bay. The flanking bays are the same as each other with a tall french casement with an architrave frame on the ground floor with 3 3 panes and a paired arch-headed sash with marginal glazing above, stack on the gable end.
The west elevation has been altered by the addition of a hipped roof, two storey summer sitting-room standing on 4 x 3 Tuscan columns. This appears to be an alteration of c1900. The sitting-room is built of timber and has 3 x 3 pane windows with lattice lights on the west elevation and 2 x 3 on the south front. The rest of the front has arched windows with marginal glazing or plain sashes and a door in the kitchen wing. This has two more chimney stacks.
The north elevation has the canted corner of the c1900 addition on the left, then comes a bay with a 2-light plate glass sash on each floor, then a single light one, then a blind gable which is the end of the kitchen wing. This extends into a single storey wing with larder, laundry etc. with a hipped roof, which forms a part of the service yard behind.

Interior

The interior is fairly plain, and none of the rooms are large. The dry rot has chiefly affected the staircase, the kitchen wing and one end of the dining room. The staircase is an open well stone cantilever stair with a cast iron balustrade, two balusters to each step, and a mahogany handrail, skylight over. The joinery is all stained or painted pine but is mostly original. The sitting room has a fireplace of c1900 with an elaborate Arts and Crafts surround and the summer sitting-room which opens from it has a pretty stair rail and the windows characteristic of Eric Francis. The c1900 addition to the right of the tower has more Arts and Crafts joinery and a fireplace with William de Morgan tiles. The upper floor is mostly plain but includes an elaborate Edwardian bathroom with a full set of sanitary fittings. The tower room is plain.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a good and very little altered Italianate villa from the 1840s which has some interesting alterations made in c1900.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29501183

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

• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
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  Huddersfield in 50 Buildings
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  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
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  Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Assets
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover