History

Erected 1773-4 to the designs of Robert Mylne, although his sketches and designs are known to be in existence in 1771. Robert Mylne (1733-1811) was the most prominent of this well-known family of Scottish master masons. His rise to prominence came with his 1758 prize-winning design for a neo-classical public building in Italy and his successful and admired 1760 scheme for Blackfriars Bridge, London. he was later much employed by the Shropshire Gentry (e.g. Woodhouse, Nr Whittington) and also for the Duke of Argyll at Inverary; he also held a number of public posts. Bryngwyn was built for William Mostyn, who had acquired the house through marriage and later added the name Owen, becoming Mostyn-Owen. The estate was originally owned by the Lloyd family until the male succession was broken. The house was badly damaged by fire in 1793 and was extensively repaired by the Shrewsbury architect J.H.Haycock, and sold in 1802. In 1813 Bryngwyn was bought by Martin Williams who employed Thomas Jones, architect, of Chester, to remodel the house; but much of the grandeur of his design was not executed, although he did substantially enlarge the house and added the stables, a coach house and other ancillary buildings. In 1914, when owned by Arthur Sandbach, alterations were made to the facade by architect A. McGarel Hogg; this work is out of character and included a large porch which, as a part of a full restoration programme was removed in 1989.

Exterior

Simple classical 2-storey red brick country house with freestone dressings, a hipped tiled roof, and various brick chimney stacks. The original Mylne house has Flemish bond brick, but later work is in English garden-wall bond. Symmetrical 5-bay entrance front to W relates to the 1813 work except for the pediment which was added recently as a reference back to the original Mylne design. The central 3 bays are advanced beneath the pediment, which has ball finials and a circular attic window, and freestone dressings including the plinth, 1st floor band and cornice. Cambered headed 16 and 20-paned sash windows, mostly replacements. Central panelled door with leaded fanlight and pedimented doorcase, introduced when the 1914 porch was removed. Stepped down and set back to left is the service range which has further small-paned windows and a hipped slate roof. The 2 3 window right hand side clearly shows the extent of the original house and that of the enlargement - see changes to windows, plinth and brickwork. The two windows to the left are contemporary with the entrance front and the 3 to right, smaller and square headed, are part of the original house; however Mylne's designs only show two windows (see alterations to brickwork around the middle window to right) All windows have sills at plinth level. The symmetrical (E) garden front is especially characteristic of Mylne's style epitomising what Colvin calls his 'fastidious restraint'. It is of 5 bays including a splayed bay to centre where the 'splays' are unusually recessed and the outer bays are very slightly set back. Mostly 9 and 15-pane sash windows but 12-pane to splayed bay flanking pedimented doorcase and French windows. Both this front and the original part of the S side have remains of a stone plat band course seven courses above the plinth suggesting that the sills of these ground floor windows have been dropped, perhaps during the time of the 1813 works. The left hand (N) end is cement rendered, a hipped roofed porch and further small-paned sash windows. The service range has broad panelled door at its N end with fanlight.

Graded II* as a fine C18 country house and the only known one in Wales to have been conceived by the nationally important architect Robert Mylne.

Interior

The main public rooms on the E side retain Mylne's interiors. Comprises the former dining Room (now kitchen), which has reeded doorcases and 6-panelled doors, acanthus cornice and a classical chimneypiece. The central room, which has a bay, has a dentilled cornice and more elegant Mona marble chimneypiece with facetted panels. On the 1813 plan this room is shown as the sitting room. To S is the drawing room, which has a ceiling rose and simply moulded cornice; on the 1813 plans this appears as the library. In the centre of the house is a fine open-well staircase, top-lit by an octagonal lantern; this is slightly coved and has panelled sides with foliage bosses as at Woodhouse. The staircase has a turned newel with cast iron upright but is otherwise understated in character, but rises to a spacious landing with four Doric columns. A letter of 1806 from the architect Joseph Bromfield to Mr Owen of Garth refers to the stairs at Bryngwyn and says that they were built of "Greenhill stone by Carline" (i.e. John Carline, architect and sculptor of Shrewsbury, possibly after the 1793 fire). The position of the stair suggests that before the 1813 enlargements the entrance was directly into the stair hall; the openings in the former front wall have been altered. A passage now runs behind this giving access to the rooms in the extension. This includes the drawing room which is continued from the original house through tall panelled doors; it has a guilloche border to the ceiling and an Ionic chimneypiece with deeply shouldered fireplace. The former entrance hall to the W is now the library which includes an introduced marble chimneypiece and shouldered doorcases. On the first floor the main bedroom on the E side has coved cornice; some blocked windows, Victorian tiled dado etc. to the bathroom. Broad secondary stairs with reeded cornices lead down to flagged service corridor. Whitewashed cellars with four barrel-vaulted chambers and a deep well.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Bryngwyn Hall official website
• Wikidata Q17741803

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

• 
  For the Record
• 
  The Victorian House Manual (2nd Edition): How They Were Built, Improvements & Refurbishment, Solutions to All Common Defects - Includes Relevant ... ... Properties (Haynes Manual) (Haynes Manuals)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Georgian Style and Design for Contemporary Living