Stable and Kitchen Court

Cadw's description

Location

Situated some 1.5km SE of Newchapel, overlooking Dulas valley.

History

1792-9 country house designed for Col John Colby by John Nash. The 1827 estimate suggests that the Doric front had not been built: the 1843 Tithe Map, possibly inaccurately, shows no addition. Repaired 1828 by W Hoare and Sonof Lawrenny, and with c.1830 ashlar Doric N addition, attributed to Nash (without documentation), though the the Midlands ashlar suggests the possibility that E Haycock of Shrewsbury might have been the architect, rather than Nash. Remodelled 1902-7 by F Inigo Thomas for John V Colby, including formal terraced gardens.

Exterior

Square, two-storey-and-attic, five-bay original house with deep bracketted eaves, and three-bay pediment on each front, pyramid roof, slightly off-centre diagonal apex stack and big E stack. Before 1902 plain stucco elevations, though originally roughcast, with arcading over the ground floor centre windows. Ashlar N front 5-bay addition with Doric columns, broken forward as centre porch. The house was reclad in 1902-7, unpainted roughcast with heavy rock-faced grey Forest of Dean stone quoins and window surrounds with triple keystones. Pediment lunettes replace Nash's originals except in E pediment, but the basic window spacings and 12-pane sashes remain. The ground before the S front was excavated to expose Nash's basement as a full storey, built out with five-bay balustraded terrace flanked by broad flights of steps. Carved ground floor doorcase. Each side were added single-storey 4-bay wings with arched windows and bracketted eaves cornice, raised on a high terrace. Roughcast two-storey service ranges, to E, forming a narrow kitchen court immediately E of the house and a larger stable court beyond, with a timber octagonal clock-turret (replaced 1828) on the N ridge. The detail here is generally plain, rendered within, with casement windows and hipped roofs, some early C20 alteration.

Interior

Nash's plan had NE morning-room, NW drawing-room, SW dining-room and SE anteroom, with L-plan circulation via a small octagonal lobby to a rectangular inner hall fully open on E to apsidal stair hall. The c.1830 addition enlarged the NE room, added a square bay to the hall, and a 2-bay space to the right with stairs to the basement. The 1902-7 work transformed the dining-room to a library and added the E dining-room and W ballroom in the wings. Upstairs Nash's plan survives with Edwardian details, such as fireplaces: rectangular centre space with small apse-ended lobby to the S, the main corner bedrooms plain but inventively-planned small dressing rooms between on N, W and S fronts. Fine Gothick plaster to the c.1830 entry and 2-bay lobby to right. The original entrance is a tight octagon, plaster-vaulted with high arches to 4 sides and niches between. The centre rectangle has an oval fluted flat ceiling and broad arch to the stair-hall, which has a rosette to ceiling and a corniced window in the apse. Fine cantilvered stone stair, made in Bristol, with simple iron rail. The library has the Corinthian columned E end from Nash's work, a fine inserted timber 1820s fireplace by J Ramsden of Neath, and early C20 doorcases E and W. The ante-room to the E is plainer with modillion cornice and Edwardian panelled plaster ceiling c.1700-style, raised in the centre in a high fireplace. The dining-room is very ornate, with a low and heavily panelled plaster ceiling c.1700-style, raised in the centre in a high coved ridged rectangle. Ionic W screen, panelled walls and a large E fireplace, with cartouche over. the E ballroom is sumptuous with crossed pairs of columns at each side of the N and S walls. W end Venetian window with ornate plaster over, matched over E door and in the arched recesses N and S, the N recess having a monumental alabaster fireplace with giant swan-neck pediment and flanking swagged obelisks.
The basement retains Nash's plaster vaults and is extended out under the terrace.

Reason for designation

Graded I as an important early work of John Nash and one of the finest Edwardian works in Wales.