New House

Cadw's description

Location

On the west side of the Usk-Caerleon road at the northern exit of Llangybi village.

History

This is a new build house of c1700, or possibly a little later, which has been very little altered since. The staircase has been changed on the ground floor and the rear wings have been altered and added to but the main facade is complete apart from the rebuilding of the chimneys above the ridge.

Exterior

The house is wholly rendered and whitewashed over local rubblestone and has Welsh slate roofs with ridge tiles and red brick stacks. Symmetrical two and a half storey five window front with central entrance and eaves gable. Large and small rear wings, one of which is partly original and there is also a single storey addition to the left hand gable. The door, which is in a later trellis porch, is 8-panel, with four large and four small fielded panels, but the top two small ones have been replaced by glass. All the windows are original with varying degrees of repair. They are cross framed casements under oak lintels with 3 small panes above 5 and 6 wide, including quite a lot of original glass. The gable contains another full size window and there are two gabled dormers with small paned casements, also apparently original. Steeply pitched roof with end stacks. Wing to left with steeply gabled roof and one small window.
The rear elevation has a projecting wing to the left and the rest of the rear wall is almost entirely covered by a later lean-to with modern windows. The top of the stair turret appears above this in the centre of the roof. The wing which was the original kitchen, but has been enlarged, has one and a half storeys. 3-light casement to the ground floor, also a small window and one in the gable end of the main range. Gabled dormer with 2-light casement in the wing and a first floor 2-light casement in the gable end.

Interior

The plan is a basic two large rooms to each floor with central hall and stair. The front door enters a hall/cross-passage with walls and doors on either side to the main rooms and a door to the rear under the soffit of the stairs. The bottom flight of stairs no longer returns into the hall but was turned to run along the rear wall of the house, probably in the C19. Both the partition walls show signs of change. Fox and Raglan have the front door directly entering the main room but the more conventional arrangement described above seems far more likely. The rear door is a 2-panel one, part glazed and with the original hinges, the other two have been replaced. The rooms have plain chamfered beams. Two-panel shutters to the windows. The right hand room (dining room) has a fairly rough fireplace with an oak lintel. The left hand room has a fireplace with a stone basket arch and flanking niches. The stair is entered from the right hand room. The rooms in the rear wings have been altered but the salting stone remains in the dairy. The staircase is an open well and rises to the attic. It has a closed string and the posts and handrail are probably original but the balustrade must be a c1800 alteration, part turned and part stick. The first floor has the two main rooms and a small one in the centre. Shutters, doors and beams as before. There are no fireplaces in evidence. The attic has two main rooms and a small closet in the gable. There are two principal rafter trusses to each room with three tiers of purlins and a ridge piece. The roof was reconstructed in c1990 at the south end after a fire.

Reason for designation

Included and highly graded for its fine design and exceptionally unaltered state including such features as original doors and ironmongery. This house is a classic example of its type.