History

Detached house built c1911 to designs by John Coates Carter for Dom Aelred Carlyle of the Anglican Benedictine community that bought the island in 1906. It was built as the island steward's house, and has the most complete domestic interior by Coates Carter on the island. All the exterior windows were replaced in plastic in late C20, the roofs were retiled and fascia boards introduced instead of rafter brackets, but the interiors survive little altered. The house is apparently built of concrete blocks, another example of Carter's experimentation with concrete on the island.

Exterior

House, white-painted render and red-tiled roof with off-centre ridge stack. One and a half storeys, all windows replaced in plastic in late C20. W side has 2 gabled dormers, and ground floor recessed veranda, the left 2 bays infilled with C20 greenhouse, but original narrow leaded windows survive both on the front wall and the end wall within. The next 3 bays are open with late C20 wooden posts and 3 4-light casement windows within. Bay to right of veranda under same roof, has side door into veranda and 4-light casement to front with dropped sill to centre 2 lights. S end wall has first floor casement pair (formerly with tiled hood) and ground floor big arched French window. To right, a square bay window with hipped tile roof and 4-light window to front, dropped sill to centre 2 lights. This bay is on side wall of rear wing which is gable-ended to E with first floor triple window, and a smaller window lower to right lighting the stair. Roof to right is outshut over casement pair to left of arched doorway. A short wall with archway at right angles screens doorway from the service area to right. This has 2 doors, a window, and a lean-to to right with roof carried down over and door facing down yard. C20 added dormer on outshut roof. Recessed in the arched entry is original cambered-headed studded plank door.
N end wall has window to first floor centre, another to left in outshut, and 3 windows to ground floor, with a fourth to left in end wall of lean-to.

Interior

Arts and Crafts style interior with entry into rear stair-hall and spine passage. Centre W dining room, SW L-plan drawing room. SE small study, N end kitchen with NE sculleries. Wood-block floors, simple woodwork to 9-panel doors, picture rails and skirtings. Fireplaces are distinctive of architect with flat surround of plain square tiles of different sizes, lightly glazed, and with simple wooden shelf over on brackets. Good wrought iron door furniture, such as hinges and door plates. Stair hall has 2-flight stair turning 90 degrees with 2 slat balusters to 1 diagonally-set stick baluster, moulded rail, plain closed string, and 3 newels with caps and ball finials. Top spine corridor has 2 big circular openings in plastered wall overlooking stair hall. Below is small triangular-plan tiled recess for stove with tiled hearth in brown-glazed tiles. Front door has fine and elaborate wrought iron door latch, 2 sliding bolts and heart-ended strap hinges. Arch at N end of hall to passage to dining room and kitchen. Dining room has N end fireplace of red tiles, painted over, and tiling in SE corner, backing onto stair-hall fireplace. Drawing-room is L-plan with fireplace on E wall. This is an exceptional piece in mottled green flat tiles with 2 tiny arched recesses and a panel inset of slightly embossed patterned tiles of Moorish inspiration. Oak ceiling beam. Beyond stair hall is small study with brown tile fireplace. N end service rooms have floors of orange Spanish floor tiles. Kitchen has fireplace on S wall, 2 small rooms to E, the further one the rear porch, with original sink.
First floor has spine corridor with 2-sided plaster ceiling, main bedrooms at N and S ends and smaller rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms off to W. Matching doors throughout with shaped heads (from SE Wales tradition), board doors with 4 cross slats and wrought iron hinges. End bedrooms have fine semi-circular curved plaster ceilings, unaltered in N end room which has small tiled fireplace on S wall. Along corridor from N to S, on W side, a small bedroom, a bathroom, another small bedroom with blocked opening into bathroom. One original door on E side into bathroom under sloping roof. S end room was originally L-plan, the rounded ceiling full width at S end, and halved in narrower N part, but the room has been subdivided. Tiled fireplace on E wall. Wall cupboard with wrought iron hinges.

Reasons for Listing

Included despite the exterior alterations as a complete surviving Arts and Crafts style interior of the early C20.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29503330

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 History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
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  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments