Begelly House

Cadw's description

Location

100 m NW of Begelly Church. Private grounds with a stone wall to the street including gatepiers with stone finial balls.

History

An early C19 gentleman's mansion, first mentioned as the address of J M Child in a legal case of 1838. It was probably built by Child (b.1794). The Child family were landowners and coal owners in Begelly. The house was used in the present century as a school but is now again a private residence.

Exterior

Three storeys and a basement; the front elevation is a range of three windows facing SE to private grounds. The front is rendered. Low-pitch slate roof with projecting eaves. There is a small central pediment above the continuous eaves at the front. The door is central with a flight of nine stone steps rising to a landing and porch.

On each side of the flight of steps is a cast-iron handrail, cross-braced, with Ionic newels at top and bottom. The porch has two cast-iron columns to the front and timber pilasters to the rear; cornice with dentils on a segmentally curved support. Semicircular fanlight with thin glazing bars. Door of five panels.

The central windows are single consisting of recessed sashes without glazing bars. The windows at right and left are double, with a central mullion, and similar sashes. Plate glass throughout.

The right side elevation is featureless and rendered. The left side elevation is a fine example of the local technique of slate-hanging. Single windows to the first and second storey, two windows to the ground storey. The slate hanging returns in at openings to abut the window frames.

Reason for designation

Listed as a fine gentleman's residence of the 1830s, the home of the local land and coal owner; including a very good slated side elevation.