Oak House East and West

Cadw's description

Location

Set back slightly from the road approximately 150m west of the crossroads at The Hendre, forming a conspicuous feature.

History

Said to have been designed c.1906 by Aston Webb, as dwellings for the head coachman and head gardener of The Hendre. The Hendre was the home of the Rolls family.

Exterior

A pair of substantial semi-detached houses in neo-vernacular Jacobethan style. Built of snecked rock-faced rubble with some featured half-timbering and blue slate roofs. The houses are double-fronted and have back extensions. Two-storeys, the S facade a symmetrical reflected-pair design framed by slightly-projecting gabled outer bays, and the upper floor of the range between these with close-studded timber-framing of 2 unequal tiers, including a wavy passing brace at each end of the lower and raised in the centre into a pair of half-dormers which have curved struts and a king strut and oversailing barge-boarded eaves. In the angle with each outer bay is a Tudor-arched dooway protected by a flat lead-covered canopy on 2 posts. Between these the main range has two 4-light stone mullioned windows at ground floor and two 3-light wooden mullioned windows at 1st floor rising slightly into the dormers. Each of the gabled outer bays has a 5-light mullioned window at ground floor, a 3-light window at 1st floor, and gable coping with a ball finial at the apex. There is a large lateral chimney stack on the centre of the ridge and at each end a slightly-extruded gable chimmney stack. Rear not inspected.

Interior

Not inspected.

Reason for designation

Included as an exceptionally good pair of estate cottages, designed by Aston Webb as a tightly composed exercise in neo-vernacular.