History

C17 country house, remodelled ca 1700; late C18 refronting and C19 enlargement. The home of the Owen family; Rowland Owen was High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1611 and his son was later Mayor of Machynlleth. The property passed to Sir John Edwards of Plas Machynlleth to which it became the Home Farm.

Exterior

Splendidly proportioned 2-storey, 7-bay symmetrical front with 3 hipped attic dormers. Coursed rubble with slate roof and rubble end chimney stacks; formerly with crow stepped gable ends. 12-pane sash windows, only one horned to 1st floor; horned 6-pane sashes to attic. Cambered central entrance with tall voussoirs, door and upper panels similarly shaped. Rubble walls run forward bordering the lawns. Right gable end extended in dog-leg form (masonry break visible between the 2 sections); part slate hung to 1st floor with horned small pane sash. 1-window to rear before 3-window cross range with overhanging swept eaves and small pane sashes, those to 1st floor rise through eaves with hipped dormer roofs. Tall C18 red brick chimney stack rises from the rear of the main range; modern red brick stack to the cross range. Slate hanging at the SW corner, cut down chimney breast to gable end and small rubble lean-to. Similar windows to the E side and low side entrance. Beside that at rear is a shallow staircase projection with 1-window S gable end. Tall 12-pane sash to extreme right at rear. The left gable end has narrow chimney breast and outside stone stairs rising to panelled door.
Entrance is at the corner of the rectangular hall with central panelled beam; fielded panelled shutters and window seat with panelled apron. Staircase at the opposite corner and passage to cross range beside. Architraves to doorways into flanking rooms, both with 6-panel doors although of different proportions (earlier style to left). The left end room has deep moulded cornices to 2-well ceiling; Adamsque chimneypiece (recently introduced). Deep panelled window recess to rear wall with seat. Small ante room to right of hall with broadly chamfered beam; fireplace on rear wall, window seat and corner cupboard with fleur de lys and Tudor Rose frieze. This leads through to the right end room, formerly with panelling (now removed to the Plas); deep moulded cornice. Off centre door, and fireplace opposite, both flanked by broad fluted pilasters with capitals; cornice is projected over pilasters. In the hall a similar pilastered architrave with panelled reveals opens onto exceptionally fine staircase; cornice projected directly over the centre of the opening. Dog gates retained to base with flat balusters and finials. Turned newel and balusters, toads back handrail swept up with fin-like projection; scroll carved tread ends. Fielded panelled dado stepped up at half-landing. Full height panelled detail flanking staircase window with fluted pilasters and projecting dentilled cornice; step up to window seat. The cantilevered flight to the attic is similar but without carved tread ends to the upper flight. The 1st floor landing has unusually fine detail. 4-bay fitted cupboards to left with Queen Anne type segmental heads to panelling; panelled pilasters and advanced cornice. Opposite is full width 5-bay partition with doorways to either end; dado, panelled pilasters and segmental heads to the upper panels and separate panels over the 4-panel doors. A-frame roof trusses with diagonal struts and overlapping purlins. Simple Georgian detail to cross range.

Reasons for Listing

A small country house of exceptional quality.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17741661

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

• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)