History

Constructed 1850s and part of a system that pumped water from the River Severn to pools on Moel-y-Mab. The building houses valve rods whereby water pumped from the river at Cilcewydd Mill could be controlled.

The Valve House was part of the Leighton Estate, acquired by the Liverpool banker John Naylor in 1846-47. Here he embarked on an ambitious programme of building, principally Leighton Hall, church and Farm, which was largely completed by the mid 1850s. Naylor introduced new rational farming methods at Leighton, notably pioneering the recycling of manure as fertiliser for which he had to add hydraulic engineering systems on a large scale. Naylor continued to extend and improve the Estate until his death in 1889. His grandson, Captain J.M. Naylor, sold the Estate in 1931.

Exterior

One-storey, of brick but faced in snecked, rock-faced Cefn stone with rusticated quoins and dressings. Slate roof with overhanging eaves. The E and W walls have small round-headed openings (the glazing bars are missing) with prominent keystones. The similar S window is larger. On the N side is a round-headed doorway with planked door. Above the openings is a deep cornice on a corbel table, above which the side walls are of dressed stone while the gables are faced in blue brick.

Interior

Brick floor with valve control lever, an exposed valve rod and fixing bolts of another valve rod.

Reasons for Listing

The Leighton Estate is an exceptional example of high-Victorian estate development. It is remarkable for the scale and ambition of its conception and planning, the consistency of its design, the extent of its survival, and is the most complete example of its type in Wales. The Valve House is an important element of this whole ensemble at Leighton. It is a highly specialised building type which represented a bold attempt to revolutionise agricultural techniques utilising new technology, in the context of a model farm of national significance.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29496952

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

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House