Nantcribba

Location

Located on a site of considerable historic importance, with adjoining earthwork castle and moated site. It is reached by a farm road crossing Offa's Dyke between the hamlets of Kingswood and Forden, and is set to the NW of the estate farm buildings.

History

The building is probably the sucessor to those represented by adjoining medieval earthworks. It was acquired by the 6th Earl of Stafford in the C15, who granted it to Meredith ap Cadwaladr ap Owen, his tenant, in 1446. Nantcribba descended through the Ireland family to Arthur Devereaux of Vaynor in the C17, the Devereaux descendants holding the property as Lords Hereford until c.1804, when it was leased to others. It was purchased in 1863 by John Naylor of Leighton Hall who built a new farmhouse, the present building, on a new site sometime after 1866, to serve a large model farm as part of the Leighton Estate. Naylor acquired the Estate in 1846-47 and embarked on an ambitious programme of building, principally Leighton Hall, church and Farm, which was largely completed by the mid 1850s. He continued to extend and improve the Estate until his death in 1889. His grandson, Captain J.M. Naylor, sold the Estate in 1931. The older house is probably that at Hen Nantcribba. The former parkland has now reverted to agricultural use.

Exterior

Built of red brick in Flemish bond, with rock faced stone quoins and dressings. Slate roofs. Stone dressed brick stacks. Tall, 2 storeys and attic. 'T'-plan, with the main entrance in the re-entrant angle within a single storey porch with a flat roof behind a stone parapet. Twelve-paned sash windows, the openings with stone lintels with tapered chamfered lower arris, and stone sills. Canted bay window to the main drawing room. Round-headed windows in the gable ends serve the attic floor, together with one gabled dormer on the SE elevation. Some windows replaced in the late C20. Extending to the rear is a single storey range of service buildings and garage, with similar windows and part-glazed door. One lead ridge ventilator. A C20 glazed addition is attached to the SE side which has a canted bay window in the gable.

Reason for designation

Included as a mid C19 farmhouse in a style characteristic of the Leighton Estate, forming a group with its associated farm buildings: a very good example of a model farm complex and part of the development carried out by the Leighton Estate in this area.