History

A house has existed on site since C18 and maybe before. Some rebuilding was done in early C19 by the Ellerton family but the overall character of the present house is late Victorian and relates to 1850's or early 1860's and then considerably enlargements in 1871 by W J Green for William Wagstaff (the solicitor involved in the construction of the Llangollen railway). Further additions and internal alterations were made 1906-10 by R T Beckett for the Best family (descendants of the Wagstaffs). Both architects where local.

Exterior

The upper end of the house (ie SW) contains the older parts and tends to be of simple rubble; later parts have snecked rubble. Red brick jambs and lintels and some freestone dressings. Slate roof, slightly swept eaves and rubble chimney stacks, some heightened in brick. There is a Gothic style to some elevations by the use of red brick pointed relieving arches.
The single storey, basement and attic entrance front to SW is 10 bays long, the central 1 4-windows of which probably represents the earlier house; steeply gabled dormers with horned sash windows; unhorned camber headed small pane sashes to ground floor. 2-window stepped advanced gable to left is later and has horned small pane windows and snecked rubble with pointed relieving arches.
Extraordinary timber porte-cochere to right said to be of Scandinavian origin - this occupies 3 bays and has gables with tall finials (one with ship) and patterned bargeboards; quatrefoil panels over Gothic open arches, flat balusters below etc. Pointed arch freestone doorway with boarded door. 2 storey and attic, 8-window rubble SE side with gables to ends and advanced gabled bay to centre - all with pointed relieving arches. Twinned windows to right of central bay with cambered heads and central shafts with carved capitals. Mostly 12-pane sashes; tall stairwell window to left; eroded bosses to lintel of central bay. The NE side is taller with the fall of the ground. The gable end of the SE cross range to left has 5-light windows with transoms and the return side has similar splayed bay with bosses to parapet. The rest of this 2-storey, basement and attic side has small pane sashes and mainly non-snecked rubble. Range projects forward at NW with 4-window elevation facing the garden. The NW side overlooks the service courtyard with similar detail and pointed arch doorway with stilted hoodmould; gabled dormers to each bay. Service range leads off at a splayed angle. Single storey and attic with gables; snecked rubble; sliding sashes to ground floor, casements above, all small pane. Store to right angled W range rising up to the drive which is boarded by rubble and brick boundary wall.

Interior

The staircase hall is open to the roof with simple trusses; chamfered newels to plain stairs. Entrance is effectively at 1st floor level. White marbel fireplace to drawing room with foiliage detail. A feature of the house is the narrow panelleing to the ceilings. Fully wainscotted former Billiard room.

Reasons for Listing

Group value with the former Coach house and the two listed lodges.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29481672

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

• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy