Top Lodge to St Donats Castle, including attached garden wall

Cadw's description

Location

At the entrance to the main drive to St Donats Castle on the road to Llantwit Major.

History

1905 (dated); built for Morgan Stuart Williams of St. Donat's Castle and Aberpergwm and designed in a Cotswold style, possibly by Bodley and Garner who were working on the Castle at that time.

Exterior

Coursed, squared, semi-ashlar limestone walls with large chimney breast with stack to south gable. Stone tile roof with stack to north of centre and with coping to gable ends. Openings with ashlar dressings. Lodge of one storey and attic. East (street) elevation, from south (left) end, single light window to ground floor; secondly, small 2-light window under the eaves to first floor; thirdly, arch headed 3-light ground floor window with sunk spandrels and dripstone under a similarly headed 2-light attic window in a small gable; fourthly, pointed chamfered doorway and door with coverstrips, now hidden by a late C20 gabled porch with glazed sides and tiled roof; fifthly, a single light ground floor window with arched head. A single storey stone extension against the north gable with ventilator and door with coverstrips in its front wall. South gable with a small first floor single light lancet window to left of chimney breast and a 2-light window to right hand; small trefoil window to ground floor; chimney breast inscribed with the initial 'W' and the date '1905'. West elevation similar, but not identical, to east elevation; pointed doorway with porch in front of it, the gable is against the stack on this elevation.
Stone front garden wall returns to house near south end of front elevation.

Interior

Said to have early C20 ceiling beams in Arts-and-Crafts vernacular style and an inglenook fireplace.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest and group value as a part of St. Donat's Castle and its associated gardens.