Haulfryn

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in Abersoch in extensive formal gardens, approached by drive running E off Stryd Fawr opposite St Tudwals Hotel.

History

House built in 1911and enlarged in 1920-1, as a holiday residence, for Frank Charles Minoprio (1870-1951) of Broadlands, Ascot, Berks, benefactor to Abersoch where he founded the Yacht club and built the school. He was High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire 1934. Alterations were made in the 1920s and early 1930s, mostly the creation of the very fine formal gardens, but also to the house, where the bedroom plasterwork is dated 1929. The works from 1922 were designed by his son Anthony Minoprio, (1900-88), pupil of Sir Charles Reilly at the Liverpool School of Architecture and distinguished C20 architect. The architect of the house itself is not known. The joinery of the 1920s work, doors and bookcases etc was almost certainly made by Peter Waals workshops in the Cotswolds.

Exterior

House, blue-grey Llanbedrog granite with grey slate roofs and stone coping. Stone stacks with band under caps. Two storeys, rectangular double depth plan, asymmetrical elevations, the service wing to N added c1921. The stone is squared, roughly tooled with a dominance of the grey colour in the quoins and slab lintels. Lintels are over small-paned windows set nearly flush with the wall-face. W entrance front has two shouldered gables flanking recessed entry. Right gable has left corner stack, casement pair to first floor centre and small casement to ground floor left. Left gable is without the corner stack, casement pair over 3 single casements. Recessed centre has flat coped parapet to flat roof, centre finely-carved Minoprio arms in dark-green stone, casement pair each floor right, long stair-light to left. Centre heavy plank door under slab lintel and with massively detailed stone gabled hood. This is carried on 2 roughly shaped long corbels under 2 square slabs, then lintel across under gable with stone coping and slates.

Service range added to left of left gable has 2-storey, 3-window range, flat parapet and casement-pair windows. Parapet conceals a light-well. 2-window N end range with flat parapet and then gable set back to left at N end of garden front.

Garden front has long 3-window range with similar gable over third bay, the gable with tall chimney from left shoulder. Gable is coped but roofs have sprocketted eaves, not parapets. 4-light casements to each floor left and centre, with ledged door between, and 3-light casements to right gable. Added service wing to right is recessed slightly with ridge stack and first floor 4-light and 3-light casements. Ground floor left has attractive former recessed seat, now opened into house and with French windows, segmental broad arch with slate hipped pent roof above. 3-light casement ground floor right. N end gable.

S end wall has ground floor timber glazed sun-room added c1930 of 5-bays with glazed timber roof. Casement pair above in left side of right gable. 4 windows within sun-room.

Interior

Stair set to left of entry has pierced white-painted flat balusters. Ground floor rooms are relatively low with plastered beams to SE room and unusual plasterwork to bedroom on ground floor centre. Cornice has reliefs in plaster depicting the owners hobbies: horses, dogs, yachts, flowers and pigeons. Similar themes are in imitation Delft tiles of fireplace, and over fireplace is large relief of racing yachts, dated 1929.

Reason for designation

An important early C20 house in a modern-traditional idiom, re-interpreting gabled stone forms simplified of traditional detail.