History

Medium sized country house rebuilt in 1820, refronting, raising and extending a C17 house, possibly of 1634. The C17 rebuilding was for John Lewis whose family claimed descent from Merfyn Frych, King of Powis, d 834 and had been at Rhiw since at least Tudor times. A Lewis heiress married William Williams owner in 1811 and his daughter married Lewis Moore Bennet, who rebuilt the house in 1820. Sold after the death of his grandson Captain William Lewis Williams in 1874, the estate then had 417 acres (168.9ha). Bought by the Roberts family but tenanted and then empty after 1922 until bought by the three Misses Keating in 1939 who restored it and gave it to the National Trust in 1947. In the opinion of the RCAHM the NE end with the 1634 date is probably a late C18 addition, but masonry breaks indicate at least 2 phases here. The 1820 date came from a dated sash weight. The rear stair wing is of 1820, the NW kitchen wing mid C19. The Keatings altered the house to emphasise the earlier origins, stripping off the front roughcast and much of the interior plaster.

Exterior

Country house, rubble stone, formerly roughcast with low-pitched slate deep-eaved roofs, bracketed on gable verges, and stone end stacks with stepped caps. Three-storey, T-plan with 3-window front of 16-pane sashes above 2 French windows and centre half-glazed door. Ground floor 6-bay veranda on thin iron columns and N end wrought iron gate. Slab lintels, slate sills, slate paving in veranda. Date '1634 I.L.' carved over ground floor right window, possibly a C19 replacement for an earlier stone. S end wall has clear indication of C17 roof line and tall end stack, C17 slot stair-light first floor left, 12-pane horned sash to upper floor right, 16-pane horizontal-sliding casement to first floor right and 9-pane fixed light to ground floor left, replacing C17 slot. W rear wall has similar C17 slot window to right at mid-height and 9-pane window each floor left. Rear wing has S side 12-pane horizontal-sliding casement under eaves, first floor 16-pane sash and ground floor small window and 4-pane window. End gable has stone stack, 18-pane long stair light to left and 16-pane sash below. In NW angle mid C19 kitchen wing projecting slightly further with stone end stack and window each floor to right in W gable. N front has 2-window range of 16-pane sashes, the ground floor left sash replaced by door with overlight. N end of main house also has line of earlier roof and stack showing. 9-pane upper window, main floors with 12-pane sash left and door each floor right, with stone outside steps to upper door.

Interior

Ground floor stripped of plaster and panelling. To right of entry the remains of a Regency screen with pair of double-depth shallow elliptical plaster arches, but the timber columns and responds removed, the columns replaced with rustic posts. 3 crude Ionic capitals survive. Some original shutters. N end small fireplace stripped of fittings. S end C17 heavy chamfered beam and half-beam, timber lintel over big fireplace and recess to right for former spiral stair of which the bottom flight has been removed. Gothick door opposite front door, with glazed intersecting tracery and blank trefoils in spandrels. Rear wing has staircase in line with front door, the lower flight replaced in stone, mid C20. 6-panel early C19 doors to cellar and office to left. Kitchen to right, fireplace with stone lintel. Return flight of stairs is early C19 with stick balusters and scrolled tread ends. First floor S spiral stone stair in SW angle with narrow glazed loops, deep recess in SE angle with stone seat, chamfered C17 beams, one grooved for partition, and scribed joists. Blocked window on rear wall. 6-panel early C19 doors. Upper flights of stairs have reused Jacobean splat balusters as newels.

Reasons for Listing

Graded II* as a Regency house with substantial remains of the earlier C17, in fine terraced setting.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Plas yn Rhiw at Wikipedia
• Plas yn Rhiw official website
• Wikidata Q7201729

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

• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)