History

Late Georgian gentry house with probable earlier origins extended in the late C19th. The wing to SW was remodelled in the later C19 but may represent the oldest part of the house, possibly dating back to C17. The unusual position of the main entrance in the south front, the unbalanced plan form and the doorless E garden façade suggests that an earlier structure probably existed against which the current main house was constructed.

There are documentary references which may indicate that a house was built here c1800 though the character of the building suggests a somewhat later date. The house appears on the parish register of 1823 as a vicarage and school with 100 boys. The early C18th Welsh scholar Edward Richard is said to have had a room there, indicating a link with Ysgol Edward Richard, later St. John's College, some 300m along the road. The building appears on the Ystrad Meurig Tithe map of 1843, when the owner was Lucy Williams and the occupier was the Rev. James W. Morris. Only a house, building, yard and garden were listed in the schedule to the tithe map.

Exterior

House, coursed rubble stone with slate roofs. Two storeys, attic and cellar, taller main N-S range is of 5 bays, originally three later extended by two bays to the north, with a hipped roof, deep eaves, and a short rendered ridge stack towards N end on the original gable. Lower SW wing is gable ended with whitewashed rendered end stack.

Main range has paired brackets to eaves at N end and to short 2-bay S end, which has the entry. Plain flat eaves on E front with twelve-pane hornless sashes with slate sills, sandstone voussoirs to the earlier bays and squared rubble stone to the later bays. Basement light under left window, with stone voussoirs and beneath central window, stone ramp leads down to basement entrance with stone voussoir and boarded door. Rubble stone N end wall with 12-pane horned sash to ground floor right. S end has sash to first floor left, blank panel to right and ground floor hipped-roofed range of later C19 date, with deep flat eaves. Full-length narrow 10-pane horned sash to left of narrow door, and centre and right have a very broad full-length tripartite hornless sash of 15-25-15 panes. E return has similar 15-pane sash with horns, W return has similar 10-pane sash. Board door.

Rear wall is painted roughcast with 12-pane horned sash each floor to left and narrow 8-pane horned sash stair light to centre.
SW wing has rubble stone front with centre windows: pair of late C19 plate-glass sashes over canted bay with
hipped slate roof and coursed stone base, 2-4-2-pane sashes. Flat eaves. Gable end wall with first floor horizontally sliding casement to left, and gabled rear with one window each floor, to left of centre: a horizontally-sliding casement above and renewed 9-pane window below, with stone voussoirs to both. To left, between gable and rear of main range is long narrow outshut projecting beyond rear of gable, with one renewed window.

Interior

SW wing with inglenook, slate-flagged floor and square oak beam running N-S. Main portion of house:
six-panelled doors throughout and internal shutters to windows. Two marble fireplaces, and one with ornamental wooden surrounds; two former kitchens with meat hooks, wooden spit racks and built-in dresser. Some rooms with dentilated cornice and hall with elliptical arch resting on pilasters. Main entrance door at S of hall six-panelled with over light with radiating tracery. Two staircases, both mahogany, dogleg with stick balusters. Three roomed cellar has oak beams and joists, board doors and slate steps and flags.

Reasons for Listing

Of special architectural interest as a substantial late Georgian gentry house with good contemporary character and probable earlier origins, and with historical connections to Ysgol Edward Richard, later St John's College.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29505556

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.

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