Neuadd Wen

Cadw's description

Location

Set within its own grounds within the village, not far from the station.

History

House built in 1907 for Sir Owen Morgan Edwards (1858-1920), a native of Llanuwchllyn. Edwards was a significant scholar and educationalist and served as first Chief Inspector of Schools, as well as being history tutor and Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, and, for a short time, MP for Merioneth. He is regarded as having had an enormous influence on the promotion of Welsh language and culture at a particularly vulnerable time. Neuadd Wen (a pun on Whitehall, where he spent much time), was built by Edwards as his retirement home to designs by Samuel Evans, the County Architect. Gwyndy was split off from the main house in the post-War period.

Interior

The interiors survive relatively unaltered, with simple moulded picture rails, architraves and cornices to most rooms. An inner porch leads to an entrance hall with parquet floor, with staircase and principal rooms leading off. This hall has a fireplace with simple classical wooden chimneypiece having egg-and-dart and triglyph frieze; dentilated cornice with mantelshelf. The fireplace has a very fine series of C17 and C18 Delft blue and white tiles to the splays and hearth; these depict animals, ships and mounted warriors. Part-glazed doors lead off, each having a segmental upper section of 6 panes with 3 bullseyes to the lower glazing tier. To the L is the Dining Room (front) and Drawing Room (rear), with Sitting Room and former service passage to the R (the latter now blocked-up at the junction between the two separated parts of the house). Jacobethan staircase of painted wood. Of narrow well type with square panelled newels having geometric finials. Those to the bottom flight are full height to the ceiling and have fluted upper sections with attached lateral brackets. These form a double shouldered arch and terminate in a pendant to the R and a wall corbel to the L. Moulded rail, swept up to the newels, and thick stick balusters. The staircase returns in a galleried landing on the first floor.

The Dining Room has a lincrusta frieze with Art Nouveau-style decoration in shallow relief. Simple Arts and Crafts oak fireplace with segmental spandrels and narrow fluted brackets to the overmantel. The Drawing Room has a renewed (modern) fireplace, with frieze and cornice as before. At one end is a wide segmental arch leading to a large square recess with central fireplace. The arch is supported at each end by squat Tuscan columns with engaged pilasters beyond. Oak fireplace with fluted outer pilasters and dentilated cornice; blue glazed tiles to the fire surround. C18-style dado panelling to L and R, with fitted oak benching incorporated.

The first floor bedrooms have 6-panel Jacobean-style doors. One has an Arts and Crafts fireplace of painted wood with dentilated mantelpiece and an oculus to the centre of a small overmantel; contemporary metal grate with turquoise glazed tiles to surround, incorporating a bucolic scene in its frieze.

Reason for designation

Listed Grade II* as forming part of an Edwardian Arts and Crafts house of considerable sophistication by the architect Samuel Evans, retaining largely unaltered exterior and interior character; the home of Sir O M Edwards, historian, writer, MP and educationalist.