Padarn House including front railings

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in the village centre, opposite church lychgate and war memorial.

History

Village house of c1860, stuccoed and altered in later C19 with interior refurbishment and extension of the rear wing. Not marked on 1843 tithe map when site was a rickyard, marked on 1878 25 in OS map.

Exterior

House, white-painted stucco with slate eaves roof and rendered end stacks, larger to left. Two storeys, 3-window range slightly offset to right. Rusticated ground floor up to first floor zigzag sill course, rusticated quoins, and moulded hoodmoulds over windows with keyblocks and moulded stops. Twelve-pane hornless sashes with slate sills. Centre door in later C19 painted timber porch. Porch has double half-glazed doors, traceried overlight with unusual pattern of 2 ogee-pointed lights with coloured glass spandrels, similar overlight with one ogee arch to each side, over side light. Shallow pediment. Inner half-glazed door and overlight.
Front wall each side of porch with low iron rails with spearheads and scrolled wrought iron to lower level.
Rear has C20 windows except one window with marginal glazing bars to upper right. Rear wing of 4 bays and 2 storeys, the upper floor of painted brick. Four-pane sashes, the upper left sash slightly jettied over C20 porch. Board door with attached casement to right. Single-storey brick range attached of 3 bays with board door between 2 6-pane windows.

Interior

Interior described in 2000 had c1900 detail of central hall with patterned tiled floor and straight-flight staircase with turned balusters and 4-panel doors. Ground floor left room with slate flagged floor and fireplace with tiled insert and marble-effect slate surround. Cupboard to rear wall probably former door, blocked window to right. Parlour to has elaborate fireplace with marble-effect surround. Dairy to rear with slate shelving. Narrow winding stair in rear wing. Upper storey of main house has been stripped. Three-bay collar-truss roof.

Reason for designation

Listed as a well-preserved later C19 village house, prominently located, with attractive stuccoed facade. Such substantial houses were built in many coastal Cardiganshire villages, probably inspired by the early C19 houses of Aberaeron, some, like Padarn House still retaining a traditional offset facade allowing for a large kitchen fireplace. Many houses of this type have been heavily modernised, but Padarn House is a good unaltered survivor.