History

There is a tradition that this house has medieval origins and was the home of Thomas Herbert, son of the first Earl of Pembroke, in the C15, but no evidence for this was seen at resurvey. The provenance of the date of 1447 over the main door is unknown. The current house is a large three storey L-shaped farmhouse which probably dates from 1620-40; it has, however, seen very considerable changes. The north wing, and possibly the kitchen and service wing, were added post 1870 by the Rev. Thomas Evans, the Rector of Goetre. He owned it from 1870-86. It then passed to his daughter Mabel Gladys, who married Charles Williams, and they engaged in a considerable programme of modernisation which seems to have included many of the window changes. The roof must have been redone either by Evans or his daughter and the chimneys may have been rebuilt, but they are appropriate to c1630. The north wing was raised from one storey to two in c1920 by the Whitehead family who took over the house from Evans' daughter during WWI; and they may also be responsible for some of the general rewindowing with the red brick arched heads. The Whiteheads were steelmakers who came to Wales to increase steel production in the area during the war. They stayed until c1950 when the father of the present owner bought the house. It was reroofed again in 1994 by the present owner who also added the balancing dormer on the right hand side of the garden front. The character of the interior is mostly late C19, but it does incorporate a number of earlier decorative features as well.

Exterior

The house is constructed of local sandstone rubble with Forest of Dean stone and red brick dressings, with Welsh and other slate roofs. The C17 house is L-shaped in plan and there is an additional late C19 wing. The main house is of two storeys and attics, the C19 north wing and the kitchen wing are two storeys only. The main entrance is in the inner angle of the L and is in a two storey porch canted across the angle, with three faces. The door is a C17 4-plank one with iron strap hinges and with a shaped head and moulded jambs; it is presumably the original front door reset. Above the door is a plaque dated 1447 which relates to the Herbert family (see History above). Above this is a 3-light leaded lattice casement and a flat coped parapet over. The wing to the left has a 4-light window on the ground floor and a 3-light one above. These are probably early C20 leaded lattice casements with timber mullions under elliptical red brick heads as are nearly all the windows in the house. Above these is a steeply pitched roof with two gabled dormers with 2-light casements as above. The wing to the right has a 3-light window on the ground floor, two 2-light ones above and two dormers as before. The roofs have a massive four-flue stack behind the entrance, a twin-flue one at the junction of the main block and the wing and a single flue one on the wing gable, all have diamond set shafts. The south gable of the main block has 3-light windows to the ground and first floors, a smaller one on the second floor and a 2-light one in the attic. These last two do not have red brick heads and may retain more C17 work. The garden front of the main block is of three bays, the outer ones having 3-light windows as before, rising to 'Cotswold' type gabled half dormers with 3-light stone mullioned windows with dripmoulds. The one to the left is C17; that to the right is 1994. The centre bay has an entrance to the staircase below and a 2-light window above, the large central stack rises behind this. The ground floor is partly masked by a late C19 timber verandah which has been glazed in c1980 to the left end. The left gable is as the right one above except that all the windows are early C20. The C19 and C20 wing projects to the left (north). This has a large stone bay window of 3-lights, each light with large cross-framed casements. Two 3-light and one single light window above as before. The roof is less steeply pitched than in the older parts with a matching two flued stack at the left gable end. The gable end wall has two single light windows on each floor flanking the chimney. Next comes the garden door in a lean-to extension behind, 2-light window above. Then a projecting gable with a large black-and-white timber framed oriel on brackets, this has a 7-light mullion-and-transom window with vertical studs in the gable above, and bargeboards. This is joined to a two storey kitchen wing which is probably early C20 (though it could be an Evans addition) and a three storey extension at the back of the main house which is probably by Evans. This has randomly placed windows and one small dormer and a rooflight. The circuit finally reaches the east gable of the main house wing. This has a lean-to with a 2-light window against the ground floor and a small casement in the wall above.

Interior

The main block has a large room each side of the central stack and there is a semi-spiral oak stair with solid treads against the stack in the centre of the west side. This has an heraldic newel-head figure and a section of turned balusters at the top where it arrives in the attic. There are several ornate doorheads, particularly to the first floor rooms off the stair, these may be an introduction by Evans, although they are in proper C17 character. The Morning Room (the south of the two ground floor rooms) has five chamfered ceiling beams with bar-and-ogee stops and these carry wide oak floorboards. The Morning Room floor is probably C18. The panelling is C19 (probably introduced by Evans) but it incorporates earlier work which may come from Herefordshire. The fireplace has chamfered stone jambs and a Delft tile surround; the overmantel incorporates six, possibly C16, carved panels of Moses and other Old Testament subjects. The Inner Hall (the north of these two rooms) has four chamfered beams with bar-and-ogee stops. The iron fireback has WWJ 1699 (the Jenkins were owners at the time). The Long Drawing Room is in the north wing and was Evan's Music Room. The ceiling was put in by the Whiteheads in c1920. It is a probably late C16 compartmented ceiling with three beams and the joists all with quarter round mouldings. These are said to have come from a house in Abergavenny. It is noticeable that the fourth beam has a plain chamfer with ogee stops. Inglenook fireplace. The Dining Room (which is in the C17 wing) has plain chamfered beams with runout stops. Late C19 slate fire surround. This wing, which was the original service wing, has a spiral stair which is stone at the bottom and oak above. The salting stone survives in the Dairy. The first floor Study has the wide oak floorboards mentioned before. Reused and C19 panelling. Plain ceiling beams which have been hacked for plaster. The two bedrooms in the north wing share the original Music Room ceiling which was raised a storey in c1920 (see History). It was six bays and has five Queen post trusses with a boarded ceiling. The attic rooms in the main block reveal the roof structure which is a massive but very altered and reinforced A-frame one.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a C17 house, with interesting C19 and early C20 alterations, which retains considerable character.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29482663

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

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects, Supplement 2014
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  This Old House: Restoring, Rehabilitating, and Renovating an Older House
• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)