Former Retort House

Cadw's description

Location

Located approximately 0.3km W of Leighton church and reached via a short minor road on W side of B4388 Leighton to Forden. The Former Retort House is on SE side of yard occupied by agricultural suppliers.

History

Said to have been erected in the 1860s, part of a gasworks complex which also included workshops, smithy and, further W, a small brickworks. Inside the main range the bases of 2 retort benches have been found for the production of coal gas. The wings probably housed apparatus for cleaning and filtering the gas. After its disuse, most of the numerous vents were bricked up.

The gasworks was part of the Leighton Estate, acquired by John Naylor in 1846-47. Naylor embarked on an ambitious programme of building, principally Leighton Hall, church and Farm, and continued to extend and improve the Estate until his death in 1889. His grandson, Captain J.M. Naylor, sold the Estate in 1931. The gasworks represents Naylor's interest in bringing new technology to a rural estate.

Exterior

Single storey building consisting of a main range with continuous outshut to L and outshut set back to R. Brick with slate roofs. The main range has pyramidal roof with a vent which has continuous louvres and a pyramidal roof. The outshuts have catslide roofs (outshut to R with inserted skylight). The main range has a large round-headed doorway flanked by 2 tall and narrow, round-headed vents each side (now bricked up). To L, in the outshut, is another wide doorway, under a segmental arch. The main range has 4 bricked up vents to rear, similar to front.

Interior

The interior has brick floors containing the shadows of brick retorts. The outshut to R has a concrete floor.

Reason for designation

The Leighton Estate is an exceptional example of high-Victorian estate development. It is remarkable for the scale and ambition of its conception and planning, the consistency of its design, the extent of its survival, and is the most complete example of its type in Wales. The former Retort House is an important element of this whole ensemble at Leighton. It represents the introduction of new technology to a rural estate, characteristic of C19 Leighton, and is a well-preserved example of a rare building type.