St Lawrence House

Cadw's description

Location

On the W outskirts of the town, across the Wye Valley Link Road. Formerly reached by a gated drive from E, now from rear courtyard.

History

C18. Built by Thomas Fydell a Chepstow merchant, possibly in the year in which he was sherriff, 1772. Site of an earlier house and the avenue of trees was recognised as a pilot's mark in C17. Range of former service buildings including lodge now modernised and converted to separate private dwellings; parts may pre-date the main house, especially the range with steep-pitched roof with large slates in diminishing courses and wide external stack of narrow bricks. When listed the house was a Youth Hostel, now returned to private ownership.

Exterior

Large Georgian house. Walls stucco rendered and painted; hipped slate roof behind high parapet; narrow rendered off-ridge and lateral stacks. Two storeys. Entrance frontage has raised rendered quoins, platband and voussoirs with keystone; blind panels in parapet above 2 bays. Three- window range of small-pane sashes, large and tri-partite to the outer bays. Off centre left is a porch with round arched fanlight with radial glazing set partly within the open pediment. Set back to left a hipped roofed wing. The south elevation was remodelled in the mid C19. The house and associated ranges and gardens are bordered on the roadside by a high stone wall, swept down to a part-railed entrance bay with gate-piers.

Reason for designation

Listed as a late C18 house retaining much of its character.