History

The house was built in 1747 (date on building) by Evan Thomas but this may have been a rebuilding of an even earlier house as the Thomas family owned Llwynmadoc from as early as 1676. The house was for a period used as a shooting lodge until it was extended from 1851 by Henry Thomas, who made it his principal residence. In 1841 the present service wing was a detached farmstead with outbuildings. The 1851 house is essentially what has survived to the present day, and comprised a long S-facing range that a photograph of the early C20 shows to have had a hipped roof and dormers. The earlier farmstead was also incorporated as a service wing to the house at this time. Further alteration was undertaken by Philip Tilden, architect, in the early-mid C20, whose main contribution was adding the mansard roof and inserting new dormer windows.

Exterior

Large, mainly Victorian country house of rubble stone, of 2 storeys with attic, and a slate mansard roof with billet eaves and brick stacks. The long S-facing 9-bay elevation is the main front. At its L angle below the eaves is a dated tablet '1747 ET'. At the L end is a C19 full-height canted bay window, then 3 narrow bays with hornless sashes and a central door with glazing over 2 low panels (possibly the main entrance until the house was extended c1851). A wide gable with 2 attic sashes flanking a C20 lunette spans the R-hand sash window and a C19 2-storey canted bay window. Further R is the extension of 1851, comprising 4 narrow bays with hornless sashes and stone segmental heads, and a wide bay window spanning the 2 central bays in the lower storey. The R gable end has an external stack, with sashes windows to its L in both storeys and an attic dormer. Set back on the R side is an added open timber-framed porch to the main entrance, in a comparatively plain round-headed doorway with panelled door.

The rear has, from the L end, a wide bow window with small sash above, then a tall stair light with sash window, beyond which are 2 sashes in the lower storey and a replaced upper storey window. There are 3 dormers above the rear wall, the L-hand of which is blank and slate-hung. Further R the service rooms are stepped out and are part of the extension of 1851. A single dormer is in the side wall above an upper-storey sash window and 2 small lower-storey sash windows, to the R of which the angle is chamfered in the lower storey. The rear wall of the service rooms has a central gabled porch, with segmental headed sash windows and dormer to the R, and 2 small lower-storey sashes to the L. Set back further R is a single narrow bay with sash window to the upper storey and a dormer.

The L end wall of the main house, against which a large conservatory had been added by 1888 but has since been demolished, has an external stack with flanking dormers, a slate hung upper storey and sash window lower R. A lean-to is added to the lower storey, to the R of which, set back from the main angle of the building, is an attached stone wall enclosing a courtyard on this side of the house. Further L a short projecting link added in the C20 is attached to a 3-storey, 4-window service wing, formerly freestanding and adapted from the C18 farmstead, set back on the L side of the main front. This faces the enclosed courtyard. The lower storey has a boarded door and overlight centre-R, with a sash window then a lean-to boarded door under a canopy to its L and a tripartite sash to its R. The middle storey sash windows are under segmental brick heads, while the upper storey has similar windows under gablets, the outer windows round-headed. The rear of this service wing, built against a steep bank, is only 2 storeys, and has sash windows in the upper storey to the centre and L, a low tripartite window set back in the lower storey at the L end, and a segmental-headed half-glazed doorway to the centre.

On the L side of the service wing is an L-shaped former coach house and stable block composed of E and S wings. Facing the courtyard W of the house the E wing has, from the R (upper) end, 2 boarded doors under wooden lintels, then a round-headed opening to a through passage, a fixed window, segmental-headed doorway, a fixed light under a stone segmental head and a round-headed doorway with panel door and cast iron fan light. The gable end of the E wing has a stable in the basement with a segmental-headed boarded door on the L side and narrow ventilation strip to its R, while above are fixed lights under stone segmental heads. The S wing is rebuilt in brick over a rubble stone base. On its N side is another courtyard with a short low gabled wing on the W side (damaged by fire at the time of inspection).

Interior

The main entrance leads to a corridor continuing the full length of the main house. It also house the main stair, which has a quarter turn below the landing and moulded tread ends, turned balusters, and a scrolled newel. The main rooms on the L of the corridor, from the main entrance, are a smoking room, a library with fluted pilasters flanking book cases and doorway, a drawing room (now kitchen) and a dining room. The dining room has a large fireplace with moulded stone surround, and the walls are wood-panelled with husk border decoration.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for architectural interest as a largely C19 country house with substantial earlier origins.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29501368

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

• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Norfolk 1: Norwich and North-East: Norwich and North-east v. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)