History

Pocket country house built 1840-1 for Edward Humphrey Griffith, apparently to his own designs. A 2-storey extension was added to the rear c1901 during alterations carried out by William & Segar Owen.

Exterior

Compact early Victorian country house in competent Tudorbethan style. Of limestone construction with ashlar dressings; medium-pitched slate roofs and 2-stage chimneys with dentil courses. The house is irregular in plan and consists of a main, 3-bay, gabled section of two-and-a-half storeys, with a lower service range adjoining to the R (N), partly enclosing a narrow service court. Adjoining to the rear is a double-pile later block (c1901). The main elevation faces E and is (more or less) symmetrical; small-pane glazing throughout. This has a recessed central (entrance) bay with advanced flanking wings. The former has a central boarded and studded door, with stepped label over and flanking cross-windows. Projecting in front is a single-storey, 3-bay loggia, flush with the outer bays. This has Tudor-arched openings and a parapet above with central triangular pediment and squat obelisk finials. Above the entrance and loggia is a first-floor 3-light mullioned and transomed window with moulded and returned label; 2-light mullioned window to the attic floor, contained within a gabled dormer. The outer bays have coped and kneelered gables with pyramid finials and central stone balls; labelled cross-windows, with an additional, second-floor, 2-light window to the R gable. Adjoining the main block to the R, and set back slightly from it, is an L-shaped service wing with 3-light transmullioned windows to each floor of its main section. The advanced, gabled section to the R has a 2-light window with a 6-light window above. In the gable apex is a lozenge-shaped shield with (raised) initials 'E H G' and the date 1841. The 5-bay S elevation has cross-windows, with labels to those on the ground floor; those to bays 3 and 4 are contained within a shallow rectangular storeyed bay. These are taller (extending down to ground level) and have a returned stringcourse above. Gabled and stuccoed rear elevation with cross-windows as before.

The later wing is of 2 storeys and adjoins to the rear (W); construction as before, though with simplified detailing. The main (S) elevation of this block faces a small formal garden and has 4 tall cross windows in a rectangular projecting bay, with flanking French windows (that to the L blocked-up). The N side faces the main cobbled stableyard and has 12-pane sash windows arranged in 4 bays; simple flush lateral and end chimneys. Extruded in the angle between this and the primary block is a low storeyed service wing with two cambered-headed, 8-pane sliding sashes facing the narrow service court. Rubble walls adjoin this and enclose the court, standing to an approximate average height of 2.5m; cock-and-hen copings. Adjoining the later (1901) block to the R (W) is a single-storey mono-pitch boiler-house block.

Interior

The interior was not inspected at the time of survey.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for its special interest as a good example of an early Victorian pocket country house.

Group value with the coach house at Plas Newydd.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29500776

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

• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Derbyshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Northamptonshire: Buildings of England Series (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)