Swiss Cottage

Cadw's description

Location

Reached from B4233 at the S end of Rockfield; approximately 0.5km along the tree-lined former drive to the Hendre. Secluded setting beside brook.

History

Designed in 1905 by Sir Aston Webb, architect of London, as a lodge to The Hendre which was enlarged by the same architect before 1902 and was the home of the Rolls Family, pioneers of aviation and motoring.

Exterior

A small single-storey estate worker's cottage in an inspired and unusually distinctive symmetrical Arts-and-Crafts design. The compactness of the plan and the use of traditional materials suggests the influence of Sir Edwin Lutyens while the design of the roof and chimney stacks recalls the work of C F A Voysey. Built of snecked sandstone rubble with black and white close-studded treatment to the upper half of the walls, and a tiled hipped roof with exceptionally broadly swept boarded eaves (probably the reason for its "Swiss Cottage" name) carried at the corners on dragon-post like timber brackets with capitals over stone pilasters tapering inwards towards the plinth. Breaking through the eaves in the centre is a tall canted porch of freestone with a deeply chamfered Tudor-arched doorway (up 3 steps), a ribbed oak door, a high parapet with a sunk panel containing a sundial with carved sunburst, and ball finials to the corners. At each corner is a small-paned 2-light timber-frame casement window, returned round the corner. Each side wall has a massive rubble chimney stack tapered towards the top, and the right-hand end has leaded, multipaned smoke-window to an inglenook. Small 1950s extension to rear.

Interior

Deep brick-lined inglenook fireplace, and plan-form slightly changed (when recorded in 1991).

Reason for designation

Listed as an exceptionally interesting and well-preserved example of an estate building by a leading British architect and for its location on the important Hendre estate.