History

A much altered house with traces of several periods of construction. Reported hidden traces of possible crucks suggests the origins of the present building may go back to the C16 or earlier. The house was clad in a motley grey and brown stone and developed to an L shape. It has C18 fenestration, altered in the early C19, at the rear. Part is likely to have been altered in the time of Dr Worthington, vicar from 1747-78. The front was substantially altered in 1852 with an elongated range in grey slate encroaching a little into the stable yard, and given two forward facing gabled wings.

The house was the vicarage where Dr Morgan translated the Scriptures into Welsh in 1578-88, and where Dr Samuel Johnson visited Dr Worthington in 1774.

Exterior

A former vicarage the front of which is in grey slate masonry, the rear in a variegated slatey shale stone; the east gable end is the only part roughcast. Renewed slate roof with tile ridge, cross finials, simple wood bargeboard, red brick chimneys. The valley gutter on the east side of the rear wing has slate lacing. One roof-light to east side of rear wing.

The main range extends east/west. Its rear elevation displays its earlier character with three painted blind windows and a 9-pane hornless unequal sash window above, and a blind window and two tripartite hornless sash windows with 4 12 4 panes. The upper windows are against the eaves and the lower windows have rough timber lintels. The east gable end has a 12-pane hornless sash window above and a large canted bay window below.

The north-facing front of this range is mid C19 in character. There are three unequal gables to north and a single gable to west. This rebuilt front carries the date 1852 on an upper lintel. Plain stone lintels and sills. The left north-facing gable is slightly advanced, and has a 9-pane unequal hornless sash window over a panelled door. The middle gable has similar windows above and below. The right gable is also slightly advanced, and has a small attic window, a 9-pane upper unequal hornless sash window, and two 4-pane lower sash windows. The left return of the left gable has a blind window above a six-pane unequal-sash window. The gable to west has a modern window above in a block-bonded yellow brick surround and a double French door in a similar surround below.

The rear wing has a two-window elevation to east with 12-pane hornless sash windows above and below adjacent to the main range; other windows restored. Nine-pane hornless unequal sash windows above and below in the gable elevation, in brick surrounds suggesting these were inserted at the same time as the front alterations. To west there is a lateral chimney, a porch and two upper and one lower restored windows.

Interior

The house retains a lateral fireplace in the rear wing. In one of the downstairs rooms is a white marble fireplace, ex-situ, curiously designed with mouldings in the form of book spines. This is said to have come from one of the upstairs rooms.

Reasons for Listing

A fine parsonage of early origin and many phases of development, which retains considerable historic character; of historic significance in relation to the Reformation in Wales as the place where Morgan translated the Bible into the Welsh language.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29504624

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)
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)