The Bishops House

Cadw's description

Location

Set back from the road in grounds, adjacent to the junction with Belgrave Road.

History

House, now the residence of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Wrexham. Built in 1865 to designs of J. R. Gummow for Thomas Williams, and formerly known as Plas Tirion.

Exterior

Brick with stone dressings and slate roof. 2 storeys, square in plan, with 3-window entrance range, and short service wing to rear. Anglo-Italian style. Central entrance, and advanced gable to the left. Stone porch with outer rusticated pilasters, coupled with panelled pilasters with foliate capitals. Modillion cornice to entablature which carries cast iron balcony rail. Round-arched entrance door within. Adjoining the porch, a canopy carried on ornate cast iron columns continues across the lower window of the right hand bay. Stone canted bay window in gable to left of entrance, with segmentally arched central light, and blind panels above transom of side lights. Upper windows renewed in round-arched openings set beneath steeply arched hood moulds. Cornice forms open pediment in left hand gable, and in smaller dormer gable to right. Garden front: 2 window range, with tripartite canted bay window with renewed French doors to left, and French doors also renewed in original opening to right. Stone swags and capitals to central pilasters of bay window, which has rusticated outer pilasters. Heavy stone brackets carry entablature which forms balconette with cast iron rail above right hand window. Upper windows both round arched, set beneath steep hood moulds. Double cornice as sill band to these upper windows, and deep bracketted cornice to projecting eaves. Central stack with moulded stone cap, the chimney on the right hand gable wall truncated.

Interior

The house retains its original plan, with central top-lit stair hall, separated from the entrance hall by a panelled archway. C18 style stair, with moulded tread ends and swept rail. Some original joinery, fire-place surrounds and plaster work also survive.

Reason for designation

Listed as a good example of the work of the local architect, J. R. Gummow.