Craig y Mor

Cadw's description

Location

In an elevated position on a rocky promontory, set back from the SW side of Lon Isallt and on the coastline overlooking Porth yr Afon, W of Trearddur Bay.

History

Designed by F G Hicks, architect of Liverpool. Construction of the house began c 1911, work ceased during the First World War and recommenced shortly afterwards, finally completed in 1922. Built for William Smellie, a wealthy Englishman and one of a number who built holiday homes around Porth Diana and one of the founder members of the Trearddur Bay Sailing Club. Inherited by his son-in-law Sir Edward Jones, Lord Justice of Appeal in Northern Ireland.

Exterior

Large house in austere, neo-Georgian style. Main part a 2-storey, 5-window range with a 2-storey, 4-window lower wing set at right angles to the front to form an L-shaped plan with the entrance porch in the angle; the advanced wing continues at a lower level with a storeyed servants wing, garage and boathouse. Walls are of snecked rubble masonry of local stone with freestone dressings; the main range is articulated by a continuous ground floor plat band with stressed course above. Roof of small green slates with hipped gable dormers and tall rectangular axial stacks of snecked masonry with corbel courses. Windows are slightly recessed 12-pane hornless sashes. The house is reached by a zig-zag flight of steps bounded by stepped, snecked rubble masonry walls; these lead to the main entrance in the single storey porch in the angle. Porch is seperately roofed with an open loggia to the right housing the entrance; a square-headed panelled door set within a stressed surround with stepped voussoir keystone; to left is a stressed window feature, coupled sashes divided by an ashlar panel; hipped gable dormer in roof. The principal elevation is to the rear, overlooking the sea; strongly symmetrical, the central part a 2-window range with advanced flanking rectangular bays with ground floor loggia's, each with tall French windows with margin panes. Central part with a ground floor tripartite sash window flanked by narrower sashes; the first floor has 2x12-pane sash windows with a central hipped gabled dormer with tripartite sash, between the chimneys above. Flanking bays with first floor tripartite sash windows. The left gable return has similarly detailed windows with a hipped gabled dormer above and a single sash light above the loggia. The right gable return has a full-height canted bay with 12-pane sashes and a hipped gable dormer in its roof; this elevation continues as the rear of the advanced wing, with scattered fenestration of sash windows of differing sizes. The service block at the end of this advanced wing is set at a lower level with a linking block of 3 metal grilled lights; a hipped block with garage and boat house at opposing ends and first floor sash windows set under hipped gable dormers; 2-storey caretaker's house at far end.

Reason for designation

Listed as a boldly designed early C20 house, ambitious in scale, dramatic in massing, and refined in detail; prominent local coastal landmark.