History

Country house of c1827 recased and extended in 1891. An earlier farmhouse here was occupied in 1760 by Richard Williams. The estate was bought by John Davies of Crugiau, nearby, before 1790. His son General Lewis Davies (1776-1828) served with distinction in the Napoleonic Wars (on the continent 1794, 1799, in the West Indies and in the Peninsular campaign, decorated after Salamanca) before retiring in 1814. The new house with remarkable Greek revival interiors was built just before the death of General Davies (the Colby map of 1831 is said to identify house as still a farm). It was of white stucco with hipped slate roofs, canted front to NE front and attached L-plan rear wing. Matthew Davies, his third son, succeeded to the estate, a magistrate, he was living here in 1841 with his wife, 3 daughters and 7 servants, was High Sheriff in 1847 and died in 1853. The property was then rented out, in 1865 to WCH Jones, in 1869-71 to Captain CE Hopton. By 1871, Matthew Lewis Vaughan Davies (1840-1935) lived here, having inherited the estate from his father. High Sheriff 1875 and the owner of a 3, 674 acre(1,488 hectares) estate, then impoverished. After a wealthy marriage in 1889 he commissioned Arthur Flower, architect, to recase the house in stone and add extensions. Work began in 1891, John E Evans was the builder. The large new work included two 2-storey rear wings, but retained the earlier Greek-revival house recased. The foundations were being cut in March 1891. From 1895, M L V Davies was Liberal MP for Cardiganshire, in 1921 he was made Lord Ystwyth and he died in 1935 at the age of 94. Offered for sale in 1936, it then had 17 first floor bedrooms and 6 in attic, and a 678 acre(274.6 hectares) estate. Bought by Cardiganshire County Council and from 1946-66 used as an isolation hospital. Student hostel from 1967 and later used as an administrative and catering building for Coleg Ceredigion. In 1998, sold as private house.

Exterior

Early C19 country house of 2 storeys, completely remodelled and extended in 1890s to designs by Arthur Flower. Rock-faced dark grey local stone with moulded yellow brick cambered-headed surrounds to windows and slate hipped eaved roofs. NE garden front has full-height canted bay to centre with three 12-pane sash windows to upper floor, and three 15-pane sashes to ground floor, and canted hipped eaves roof higher than floors of one-bay sections each side. These have ground floor 15-pane sash only. Entrance front, to SE, has hipped one-window ranges each side of slightly higher castellated centre possibly an infill of an original centre recess. Castellated parapet has sides canted back, large first floor plate-glass sash in yellow brick and C20 full-width institutional entrance doors with sidelights. Bay to right has 15-pane sash as on garden front, bay to left has c1890 French window in similar surround and plate glass sash above under eaves. Centre has two large late C19 blue Ruabon brick corniced stacks, one each side, set back, ands further back is original early C19 octagonal glazed lantern.
To left is taller plain late C19 added block, of 2 storeys, 4-window range, plate glass sashes in unmoulded yellow brick surrounds and hipped roof on brackets.
NW elevation has, towards NE, large sash window in end wall of garden front, then 3 windows to each floor. Large late C19 extension to right of 6 windows. Stacks in blue Ruabon brick.

Interior

Early C19 portions of the house retain Greek revival interiors to a remarkable degree, with staircase hall and stair, cornices, moulded ceiling decoration, doorcases doors and window architraves. Fireplaces have been removed. Entrance hall has stone flagged floor. Pair of Greek Doric columns to staircase hall, stone cantilevered stair with metal balusters, top-lit with glazed octagonal lantern over, with Greek revival detailing. Elaborate ram's-skull-and-grapes motif to ceiling stucco. Drawing Room with canted end has flat ceiling with elaborate mouldings to cornices, Grecian window and door architraves; archway to Music room. North room has pavilion ceiling and simpler Grecian mouldings to cornices, rope-mouldings to window and door architraves. Central bedroom in central canted bay with cornices, doorcase and window architraves. Front bedrooms in simpler style with early C19 detailing. Barrel vaulted rear corridor, top-lit. The rear of the house is largely late C19.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a recased early C19 house with fine surviving Greek revival interiors.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29497855

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

• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  County Durham (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England) by Elizabeth Williamson Nikolaus Pevsner(1983-03-11)
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)