History

Earlier C19 villa, marked on 1837 tithe map to roughly same plan, as Croft Cottage, owned by Sarah Williams occupied by George Goode, with 6 acres (2.4 hectares). The South African name was given in the later C19 by a John Davies, tea-planter, who returned from Boksburg and remodelled or rebuilt the house in the 1870s. He died in 1920 and the house passed to Miss Lewis his housekeeper, and was later owned by her niece listed in 1926 directory as occupied by Jn Francis. An iron veranda shown in later C19 photograph was removed 2002, and photograph also shows a large conservatory with radiating tracery in front gable sited to right of house, altered in C20, dismantled 2002. The coach-house to left was then whitewashed and openings blocked except for one window.
The house shows signs of incorporating an earlier building at the rear with oak joists and the principal range has some signs of phasing, notably broad floor boards in N half.

Exterior

House, unpainted render with slate close-eaved roof and end stacks, external chimneybreast on S end wall, stone, with attached rear shaft in red brick and 2002 rebuilt brick above, as on N stack. Three-storey, 3-window W front with late C19 plate glass sashes. Ground floor has late C19 canted bays with moulded cornices (formerly under glazed veranda on cast-iron columns with ornate brackets, removed 2002) and arched doorway with radiating-bar fanlight and earlier C20 9-panel door.
Windowless rear wall of lower rubble stone outbuilding to left with blocked coach entry left, blocked door and window right (already blocked in late C19 photo). Straight joint to left indicating added coal-room and tack-room on N end (under continued roof).
Conservatory to right removed as derelict 2002, was lean-to against blank W wall of a gabled 2-storey short wing to main house with C20 window each floor in S end wall and blocked door.
Rear of house has long outshut roof, 2-storey rear wall has a slight projection to left bay, with 16-pane sash each floor, blocked door to right, and main part has 16-pane stair-window each floor to left (brick heads, stone sills), casement pair centre over door and blocked door right. Addition to S has single storey outbuilding at right angles to rear wall. Outbuilding to N has lower roof, rubble walls, door to stable and brick cambered arched to coach entry, with 2 small boarded loft lights one above coach entry, other slightly left, straight joint right and brick-headed door to tack room. N gable end of addition has loft door in gable, 12-pane sash to tack-room left, door and boarded window to coal-room right.

Interior

Entrance hall with bay-windowed room each side, doorcases painted grained and thinly reeded. Six-panel doors. Hall passage has door with fanlight, probably inserted as elliptical hall arch with fluted piers behind. Left room has C19 painted timber fireplace, imitating marble and arched recess each side. Panelling in bay window. Right room has similar bay window and C19 fireplace. Ceilings as exposed in restoration have thin pine joists. Staircase to rear centre has stick balusters and earlier C19 turned column newels with thin ramped rails and closed strings. Dog-leg stair with landings and relatively broad treads. Rear NE room, former dairy, has 2 older beams and square joists, possibly C18. Rear SE room (in S addition) has later C19 servants stair. Single storey rear range has smoke-blackened roof. Small shutters to stair landing window. Bedrooms have 6-panel doors, N room has wide floor boards, centre and S one large room with 2 pine beams and some reused older joists. Rear centre room has wide floor boards and shutters. Removal of rear ceilings 2002 revealed 2 blocked C19 second floor brick-headed windows into outshut roofspace, that appear never to have been opened, possibly the intention was to have a lean-to rear roof rather than continuous outshut roof. Evidence of wall heightening in NE rear part. S end room first floor room had evidence of roof being raised to be continuous with rear outshut roof. Attic has wide boards at N end and landing and 3 fielded-panelled doors, 2 4-panel, one 2-panel. Some reused timbers in tie-beam trusses of roof.
Outbuilding (derelict 2002) has remnant of stalls in S end, barn had been lofted.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a substantial suburban villa in late Georgian style.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29504911

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

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  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  England's Post-War Listed Buildings