Ffrwdgrech House

Cadw's description

Location

About 2 km SW of Brecon in wooded grounds with views of Brecon Beacons.

History

Country house of 1828, probably by Robert Lugar. Extended and altered c. 1892 with new billiard room and enlarged service range. Library remodelled c. 1930.
There was a house on the site owned by the Price family who sold it to Samuel Church of Brecon, who built the present house. His daughter Mary (died 1868) married Colonel John Pearce, who had served in the Napoleonic Wars, and died 1856. The house was rented to Cyril Flower MP for Brecon, later Lord Battersea, before being sold in 1881 to David Evans 1828-1904, partner in the Brecon Old Bank, High Sheriff in 1878. He was succeeded by Captain J.D.D. Evans JP (1881-1961) and D. Evans (1910-94).

Exterior

Smaller country house. Late Georgian style, stucco painted with C20 sand-textured paint, and with green stone plinth. Low-pitched slate roofs on deep eaves with paired brackets. Tall cut-stone chimneys with plinth, shaft, frieze moulding and moulded cornice, possibly later C19.
Two storeys, three at service end. The original house is to l. with three-bay entrance front, the outer bays slightly advanced with bracketed deep pediments. The windows are 12-pane hornless sashes, much larger on ground floor, with cornices on consoles. But there are no windows to left bay, apparently blocked in late C19, presumably for gable chimney. Centre glazed door in moulded architrave with panelled piers and frieze, and cornice, set in fine Bath stone Ionic portico. Portico has paired unfluted Ionic columns and frieze in Bath stone, but cornice and blocking course in red sandstone. Stone flagged paving. Large ridge chimney left of centre bay.
Continuous to right is a three-window range with later C19 narrow 4-pane sash windows, and then the slightly taller hipped end of the added service block, with chimney on right of roof hip.
East side has a three-sided canted projection to left with roof hipped over, and tall chimney on roof slope just right of projection. Right side has first floor plain window with late C19 glazing over a big 4-12-4-pane floor-length tripartite window with consoled cornice over. Projection is almost windowless apart from first floor centre 12-pane sash.
South side has similar original three-bay range to right, with pediments on outer bays, which have 12-pane sashes over similar big ground floor tripartite sashes with cornices on consoles. Centre bay of ground floor is blank. Axial big chimney in valley behind left pediment. Victorian addition continuous to left has a ridge stack just left of original range, a large two-storey canted projection across centre and right and a plate glass sash to left over a broad cambered opening with double doors, sidelights and tall triple overlight, opening under glazed veranda with iron columns. Veranda fills the bay between canted side of projection and canted corner of taller end range, which has near-windowless end wall, hipped roof and large end stack. Three-storey front to service yard, of five bays, with 12-pane sashes and larger ground floor windows. Flat eaves.

Interior

Entrance hall with elaborate deeply-moulded cornice, shallow pilasters, panelled doors and doorcases, niche between dining and sitting room doorcases. Cantilevered open well stair with iron balustrade, also to landing. Library, converted in 1930s, has C19 cornice, shelves, doors, fireplace etc. in hardwood, possibly cedar. Sitting room has egg-and-dart cornice moulding, anthemion ceiling rose, marble fireplace, and original doorcases. Dining room has acanthus cornice, anthemion ceiling rose, and original doorcases. Late C19 billiard-room has panelled dado, raised area (entrance with flanking Doric pillars, and wood and stone chimneypiece. Restored coved ceiling to landing, panelled elliptical arch to bedroom lobby. Bedrooms have simple cornices, panelled doors, fireplaces etc.. Service wing retains many Victorian 'below stairs' fittings.

Reason for designation

Included for its special architectural interest as an earlier C19 country house in late Georgian style retaining good interior features.