History

Llawhaden House is a gentleman's house with attached farmstead, associated with the Skyrme family, present locally since the C16. They were parliamentarians in the Civil War, and Oliver Cromwell is said to have slept at Llawhaden House on the night before the battle of Colby Moor. In 1670 Thomas Skyrme of Llawhaden was assessed for two hearths. The house is probably of the C17, in origin, though with significant C18 external detailing, and a staircase of early/mid C18 appearance. William Skyrme was present in 1811, when Fenton referred to the house as a mansion. In the early C19 the house came into the ownership of George Roch by marriage with the heiress Charlotte Skyrme. In 1839 George Roch was recorded as owner, but James James, farmer, was in occupation as tenant; from this period the house remained in farming tenant occupation.

In 1912 the house was offered for sale; it was then described as a mansion house with three reception rooms, three kitchens, pantries, nine bedrooms, and other offices.

Exterior

The main range of the house lies N/S, and faces E to a small front garden. The house is of two storeys, apparently three units. On the front elevation there is a boldly projecting gabled porch of two storeys, probably original, left of centre, and a less-projecting secondary two-storey gabled bay at the right with its eaves higher than the main range. A single-storey service wing of several rooms extends forward at the right. At the rear of the house there is a projecting stairs turret opposite to the porch. N of centre there is also a large three-storey rear wing, and N of this wing a single-storey extension under a catslide continuation of the main roof.

The house is rendered overall, apart from the windowless S gable elevation, which is slate-hung, and the N gable elevation which is of hammer-dressed rubble masonry. The roofs are of slate with tile ridges; part of the rear slope has been rendered over. Rendered end-chimneys to the main range. The forward service wing has a big mid-chimney and a smaller end-chimney. There is also the projection of an original chamber chimney on the N side of the porch, supported on corbels but now truncated at eaves level. The front elevation has an exposed-frame hornless sash-window of 12 panes as a through-eaves dormer in the left unit and a similar window in each of the gabled projections. The rear windows are of various sizes and the S windows of the rear wing are of 18 panes. In the N elevation, facing the stable yard, is a horizontally-sliding sash window above and a six-pane fixed window below, and casement windows in the forward service wing. At the rear of the rear wing is a ventilator consisting of a mediaeval cross-loop with oeillets, evidently salvaged from the Castle.

In the stable yard there is a hand water pump made by the Lion Foundry.

Interior

Within the front porch the main door is a fine original door of two panels, reduced in height by perhaps 15 cm at the foot, and about 1.2 m in width. Large bolection mouldings. Thumb latch and bolt and brass bell-pull and knocker. The rooms off the staircase hall have doors of six panels with simple architraves. There is a fine wide C18 staircase occupying the rear projecting turret, of dogleg type with half-landing. A large moulded handrail commences at the bottom newel and is swept up to meet a double-width newel at the landing. Closed strings, large turned and square-ended balusters. Dado on the wall with top-moulding to match the handrail. One of the rooms is panelled.

A storage room at the end of the W wing is vaulted.

Reasons for Listing

House of genteel status but vernacular architectural character retaining some C17 detail, at the head of a well-preserved village farm.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29485352

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

• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)