Llanrhydd Hall

Cadw's description

Location

Opposite, and to the the N of St Meugan's church, in the centre of Llanrhydd; accessed via a metalled drive running from the Llanrhydd gates.

History

Small gentry house with C16/early C17 timber-framed origins. The house was extended and partly encased in brick in the early C18, and again cosmetically altered in the second quarter C19. Plas Llanrhydd (as it was then referred to) was the home of Thomas Roberts, Esq, High Sheriff of Denbighshire in 1703. Plaster-work decoration with the initials ER and MR, together with the date 1748, survives on a purlin in the attic; the initials refer to Eubule Roberts, son of Thomas Roberts. Further alterations were carried out by the author Stanley Weyman, who lived here from 1898 until his death in 1928. It was he who bought and installed the fine early C18 gates, attributed to Robert Bakewell. The house was reduced in size in the 1960s.

Exterior

Medium-sized, gabled country house of irregular plan; of rendered brick construction with timber-framed core. Slate roofs with oversailing verges and plain bargeboards with wooden finials; brick chimneys with paired, off-set stacks. The entrance front has a main two-and-a-half storey section to the R with a short 2-storey gabled wing projecting to the L; beyond this is a further, recessed range, flush with (though marginally lower than) the main section. The front entrance is to the latter and consists of an Edwardian 6-panel, part-glazed door with a flat-roofed open porch supported on wooden pillars; flanking C20 windows, that to the R narrow and with multi-pane glazing. To the R of this is a first-floor second-quarter C19 sash window; 12-pane, unhorned. Above is a smaller, similar window lighting the attic floor. This is contained within a broad gable which rises flush with the facade. A further sash, as before, appears above the entrance.

The projecting wing to the L has a modern (truncated) gable end with 5-part modern casement windows to the ground and first floors. Its R return has an Edwardian 6-pane casement window contained within a shallow projecting architrave; 12-pane C19 sash above, contained within a gabled dormer. The L return of this wing has a C20 secondary entrance contained within a single-storey porch addition which extends along its length. The lower L wing has modern 2-and 4-part casement windows as before; a modern garage and single-storey link block adjoin to the L.

The S side has a 3-bay main section with a broad gabled wing projecting slightly to the L. The latter has a large 9-pane early C20 window with central garden door and narrow flanking 3-pane windows. Above this is a pair of C19 sashes, as before, with a smaller one in the gable apex. Similar window arrangement to the ground and first floors of the right-hand bays of the main section, with a 2-storey early C20 WC projection extruded in the angle between it and the advanced gable. The latter has multi-pane windows of Arts and Crafts character to both floors. The rear elevation has a main range to the R with two projecting gabled wings advanced to the L. Of these that to the L is advanced the farthest and has a large 9-pane window to each floor, as before. The other gabled projection has 2-light second-quarter C19 Gothic windows to the first and attic floors; these are iron-framed and have arched heads to the lights. The ground floor is occupied by a flat-roofed, early C20 L-shaped projection, returned around onto the side of the former gabled wing. This has 4-light leaded windows. C20 9-pane and C19 12-pane sash windows to the 2-bay main section at the R.

Interior

Entrance hall with stair well, with main rooms to the R and services to the L. Some exposed timber-framing to the ground floor, on a raised rubble (now rendered) plinth; other, similar partition walls are implied, though obscured. Stopped-chamfered (plastered) main beam to former hall, with plaster ogee stops of c1700. Barrel-vaulted 2-bay first-floor chamber (formerly the drawing room), with moulded plaster cornicing. The attic floor retains early oak floor boarding and a 2-panel early C18 door. On a purlin survives a section of plasterwork with the initials ER and MR in raised lettering, together with the date 1748.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special interest as a regional gentry house with timber-framed origins and retaining good C19 external character.