Roath Court

Cadw's description

Location

In its own walled grounds on the W side of the junction between Newport Road and Albany Road.

History

On the site of a medieval manor house known as 'Roath Dogfield' mentioned by Rice Merrick in 1578. The present house is C18 in origin but with early C19 additions, probably by John Wood (1755-1817), a banker. The house had acquired its present plan form by the 1880 Ordnance Survey and was owned by Charles Crofts Williams (1798-1860), a mayor of Cardiff, and his descendants until it was sold in 1952 and became a funeral home (details on a wall plaque). A stone portico of 1761-4 by Robert Adam was brought here from Bowood House, Wiltshire, after it was largely demolished in 1956.

Exterior

A Georgian house of irregular plan, comprising the original C18 house facing E, with added S and W wings and projections behind the original house. The original 3-storey 5-bay house has scribed stucco walls, slate roof hipped to R and projecting on bracketed eaves. In the lower storey is a half-glazed door L of centre under a plain overlight, a pair of 2-pane sashes to the centre and small pane sash R of centre. The outer bays have tripartite small-pane sash windows. In the middle storey are 12-pane horned sashes, the upper storey shorter 6-pane horned sashes. The projecting S wing to the L is faceted and has 2-pane sashes. The L (S) side has 2 bays with 2-pane sashes, L of which is an entrance bay under a separate hipped roof, which has a tripartite sash window in the upper storey and added portico below. The portico is Ham stone, with pairs of Tuscan columns and Doric frieze incorporating aegricana. Double doors inside the porch are replaced and have a plain overlight. On the L side of the entrance is a lower wall with round-headed opening screening off a small courtyard behind.

The rear of the S wing has Tuscan pilasters and entablature framing a single sash window. To its L is the 3-window S side wall of the higher W wing, built in 2 phases under separate hipped roofs. On the R side is a tripartite window in a blind arch, with freestanding Tuscan columns in front of it, and tripartite upper-storey window. Set lightly back to the L the wall has pilasters and entablature similar to the S wing, but broken by a full-height canted bay window incorporating 2-pane sashes. To the R of the bay window are a half-glazed door and 4-pane sash window in the upper storey. The rear elevation of the W wing is brick painted white, with two 4-pane sash windows in the lower storey, while the N side wall has a 2-storey canted bay window with small-pane sashes, and with small-pane sash windows to the L, each with thin glazing bars. Projections behind the main range under separate hipped roofs have further small-pane sash windows and a lean-to at the N end. An added 2-storey wing is built at an angle to the NE side of the main range.

Interior

The interior is converted to the offices of a funeral home, but retains a C19 open-well stair in the rear wing.

Reason for designation

Listed as a rare surviving country villa that survived the expansion of Cardiff in the late C19. The portico from Bowood House is of additional special interest as a well-detailed neo-classical design, and the only example of the work of Robert Adam in Wales.