Coed-y-mwstwr

Cadw's description

Location

On high ground N of the village of Coychurch in its own parkland and facing S over the Ewenny valley.

History

The home from 1889 of Arthur John Williams, Liberal MP for S Glamorgan and his wife Rose Harriet Thompson Crawshay, daughter of Robert Crawshay of Cyfarthfa, the South Wales family of ironmasters; also their son Elliott, an essayist and poet. Lloyd George and Ivor Novello were house guests. Became a girls' school, after sale to the Home Office in 1945. Converted to a hotel early 1970s. The house stands in substantial parkland with a number of features such as an extensive walled garden and stone lined reservoir on the hillside behind the house, a lodge at the drive entrance and separate coach house and stables.

Exterior

A large 3 storey house built of red brick with ashlar dressings, timbered roof dormers and plain tiled roof with a number of tall dominating decorative brick corniced stacks. Main south facing frontage onto terrace has 3 bays, the central entrance bay the most decorative; this comprises to left on each floor a large window of 5 lights with chamfered mullions and transom in metal frames and moulded stone surround with deeply moulded cornices above, surmounted by an embattled parapet. Entrance bay right breaks forward with cross gable, decorative finial and coping, crested datestone 1888 in apex; large first floor cross window has heavy pediment above and decorative scrolls to sides; porch below is formed by deep consoles supporting a crested entablature; decorative shouldered doorway with rosettes and billet moulding above; glass porch added. Between centre and left bay which breaks forward is a large external chimney stack which rises from a bay with offsets, gablet and broach and long rectangular ground floor light. Main cross bay left has gable finial, coping, the heavy cornices as string courses extending across whole frontage; square headed cross windows on all 3 floors. Set back wing to right is similar with a front external stack corbelled at first floor; black and white roof dormer. All windows have single light above transom and 2 panes in metal frames below; main ground floor windows have coloured glass in upper lights in varied leading patterns. Garden frontage left has 2 storey canted bay with 4 front 2 side light mullioned windows, tile hung between storeys, with pierced stone parapet surmounted by urns. Extending single storey gabled cross wing probably former billiard room has a separately gabled bay and side entrance. Other similar windows and roof dormers and ridge stacks to side elevations and extensions side and rear.

Interior

Interior hall has been altered although some features such as marble floor and pillars to hall are reported to survive under later cladding. Rear open well wooden staircase with wide spaced balusters and decorative finials is intact under segmental wooden staircase arch; large mullioned staircase window with quarry glazing and coloured glass motifs. Dining room, probably former billiard room, has hipped ceiling with decorative woodwork.

Reason for designation

Listed as an exuberantly designed and dated late C19 medium-size country house with links to Welsh political and industrial history.