History

The present house at Clochfaen is the result of a sequence of rebuilding and remodelling, which culminated in work by W.A. Benson in 1913-1915. Harry Lloyd Verney succeeded to the Clochfaen estate in 1913, and commissioned Benson to remodel and extend the existing buildings there. Benson was recommended to the Lloyd Verneys through their London connections: the family also had a home in Mayfair, and Lloyd Verney had been Deputy Master of the Household to King Edward VII, and from 1911, Groom-in-Waiting to King George V.

By this time, an earlier house (Old Clochfaen) which lay to the SE and had been built in 1810 had already been abandoned, the main residence apparently having been contrived in what had been cottages, a barn. and stabling to its rear, in 1888. This house included a 'tenants hall' incorporated in the former farm-range, with servants' accommodation beneath it. A photograph of 1910 shows this residence with hipped roof and bay windows. In Benson's scheme, the earlier house (Old Clochfaen) was demolished, and the former cottage and stable block again remodelled and extended. Tradition held that there had been a timber-framed house on the site until 1760, but the existing buildings were stone. To them Benson added a timber-framed main-range and cross-wing housing new principal rooms, whilst re-ordering the existing range as service accommodation to achieve some stylistic consistency. The house was provided with electricity and central heating from the outset - some of the original radiators and pipework survive.
The Lloyd Verneys fell on hard times soon after completion of the house, which was eventually bought by Frank Stirk, a Wolverhampton solicitor, in 1927.

Exterior

The house is aligned roughly N-S along the contours of the slope. Timber-frame and roughcast render to 1915 section, whitewashed stone elsewhere; slate roofs (originally random Preseli slate, now regular Spanish) with brick stacks throughout. A balanced composition was achieved by recessing the main range of 1915 from the earlier range, which in turn is balanced by the cross-wing of the addition Thus the timber-framed 1915 range dominates the E (entrance) front: a two-bay range with jettied upper storey; central entrance in shallow gabled porch with continuous small-paned iron glazing flanking its boarded and ribbed door; with date in plastered roundel at apex. The porch is flanked by long 5-light mullioned and transomed windows (again with small-paned iron glazing) aligned on each floor. To the right, the junction with the earlier range is achieved by over-sailing the roof across an angled corner that matches the canted full-height bay window in the gable of the earlier range. Advanced to the left is the cross-wing of the 1915 house: mullioned and transomed windows (as before) in the gable end. Garden front is asymmetrically composed with storeyed gabled porch off-set to the left: this has small gabled canopy over doorway and continuous small-paned glazing to both floors, the tall upper windows with transoms. Panel over door read 'This house was built by Harry Lloyd Verney and Joan his wife AD 1915'. The right-hand section is distinguished by jettying (including its gable end) and the principal room emphasised by a large 5-light transomed window; the smaller sitting room to the left has a correspondingly smaller 3-light mullioned window; there is no jettying to this bay. Upper windows are of 3, 2 and 4 lights, immediately below the eaves.

Beyond this coherent 1915 building, the earlier buildings form a service range: this is whitewashed rubble stone with slate roof stepped down to accommodate the lower former farm-range to the right. Doorway in close-studded timber-framed gabled porch towards the left end of the range, and irregular fenestration with bullnose brick surrounds, segmentally arched heads, and C20 wooden windows of various types. To either side of the doorway, 2 gabled oriel windows flank a raking dormer to first floor, and there is a full-height canted bay window in left-hand gable return. The continuation of this range to the right was the former farm-range and the arched former cart-entries are still visible. Above them, 3 wide gabled half-dormers with 6-light mullioned and transomed windows light the upper hall within. Between the left and central windows is a large clock. Irregular fenestration at rear, and remains of a veranda which formerly linked the 1915 house with the earlier range.

Interior

The original layout and much of the detail of the 1915 house survives intact. Its main range was designed to house hall and dining room, the entrance porch giving access directly to the hall via a small angled lobby. Beyond the dining-room, to the rear of the earlier range, were small service rooms, a back stairs and a garden room; a corridor runs to the rear of the dining room, to provide independent access to the hall. The garden wing houses the staircase, lit by the upper window of the porch, with drawing room to the east, and small sitting room and former gun-room to the west.

Much of the original detail was brought into the house during the 1915 phase, originating in various London houses - the C18 character of these is echoed in the 1915 work; some missing detail has been reinstated more recently, including the dining room fire-place. Hall and library has egg-and-dart plaster cornice introduced from a London house in 1915, and the tiled round-arched fireplace has a scrolled mantle reputedly taken from Nell Gwynne's house. A notional inglenook is suggested by the positioning of a longitudinal beam, and a small raised seating alcove with its own small window at the rear. Built-in bookcases (some lost to dry-rot). From the hall a wide doorway opens out into the stair-hall: paired timber arches with pendant keys define the foot of the stairs and the hall-way; dog-leg staircase with fine twisted spindles. Drawing room in garden wing has fine C18 marble fireplace with hob-grate. Small sitting room at rear also has C18 fireplace, and faux wall panelling (some removed on inspection in July 2005). Upper rooms also have good C18 fireplaces derived from London propery. Internal doors are mainly plywood (attributed to shortage of materials during war-time) but there is one solid door with glazed arched panels and bolection moulding to bathroom in garden wing.

In the service range, the ground floor layout, having been altered, has been partially reinstated to its earlier C20 arrangement: the first floor 'tenants hall' had also been subdivided, and was in process of restoration on inspection in July 2005: fireplaces, clock surround and gallery are all therefore modern reconstructions. The complex trusses which articulate the hall with their paired collars and hammer-beams, were modified and embellished by Benson, who had also added the gallery.

Reasons for Listing

Listed as a very rare example in Wales of an Arts & Crafts house by this influential British designer, built in an English vernacular style using Welsh materials, and retaining particularly fine external and internal detail.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29506238

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.

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