History

Built in 1856 for Henry Crawshay, ironmaster of Cinderford in the Forest of Dean, former manager of the Hirwaun ironworks, and son of William Crawshay II of Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr Tydfil. The original 2-storey house, known as Llan-y-llan, was Gothic in style with polychrome dressings and a tower to the entrance front. Crawshay died in 1879 and 10 years later the house became the Langland Castle Hotel, when it was considerably enlarged in a similar style by John Norton of London, who added a third storey and extended the house on the W side, maintaining the E side as the entrance front. Later the hotel was owned by Evan Walters of Llandrindod Wells, but in 1922 it was sold to the Workingmen's Club and Institute Union for a convalescent home.

Exterior

A large Gothic 3-storey house with attic, of coursed, rock-faced Pennard stone, Bath freestone dressings and local red sandstone banding, simple polychrome detail to window surrounds, and a slate roof with tiled cresting, overhanging eaves and rubble stacks.
The entrance front is on the E side and faces down the drive. Originally 2 storeys and 3 bays with a central tower, it is now 4 bays and dominated by the 5-stage tower L of centre, the bay to the R being an addition when the building was enlarged by Norton. The tower incorporates a porch in the lower stage, which has a doorway with 2-centred head, 2 orders of chamfer and one order of corbelled shafts to the imposts. Sash windows above have polychrome pointed heads with blind quatrefoils in the tympana, and red sandstone impost bands. The upper stage window is 2-light with a quatrefoil tracery light. An embattled ashlar parapet has rounded corner tourelles. The bays R and L have similar banding and paired sash windows with similar surrounds to the tower windows. The centre-R bay has a sash window in an attic gablet, while the R-hand bay has a gabled roof dormer. To the L of the tower is an external stack in which is a tablet recording the opening of the CIU home in 1922, while L of the stack are sash windows.
The 11-bay S front is asymmetrical and is the result of Norton's extension. The division between the 2 periods is beside the R-hand splayed bay. Gabled dormers (except to gabled bays) have bargeboards with punched roundels; the windows below have surrounds and banding similar to the E front. Modern top hung casements replace the original horned sashes, while the capital carving is varied, depicting animals and foliage, while another possibly has a builder's monogram. Beginning at the right hand, earlier, end there is an advanced and gabled bay. Approximately in the middle of the front there is a taller, similar bay and half way between the two a splayed bay also with dormer to the hipped roof. There is a similar splayed bay midway between the central gable and the end tower. The round end tower is 4-storey and has 4 windows to each storey, and a pyramidal lead roof with finial.
The rear elevations are plainer with windows in brick surrounds.
Recently replaced windows with UPVCu windows.

Interior

The porch opens into a top-lit stairwell which has full Gothic detail, including screens to each landing with pierced aprons. The stairs have openwork balusters with quatrefoils and cusped arches, moulded strings and an octagonal newel with Crawshay arms. The first room to the L is the library, which has a coved cornice and ceiling roses. Broad, Gothic-panelled doors between this and the 'open lounge' have chamfered piers and crenellations. The cornice to this room is similar, and there is a white marble chimney piece. Beyond is the 'writing room' with unusual cornice and plasterwork detail; the elaborate pelmet and the top of the chimney piece have a similar design. Triangular door heads.
The long, main lounge beyond belongs to the enlargement for the hotel and does not have distinctive detail. A barrel-vaulted brick wine cellar is in the large basement below the E end of the house.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a substantial Victorian industrialist’s house in a prominent location.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29490110

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

• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)