Tower House

Cadw's description

Location

At the N end of the street with the entrance through an arched gateway.

History

An early C19 town house of the Glynne family of Glynllifon, containing interior detail similar to their country house at Llandwrog. The house is shown on the 1834 town plan. The rear wing was added in the 3rd quarter of the C19, when the arched entrance in the wall to the side of the house was probably also added, and is first shown on the 1890 Ordnance Survey.

Exterior

A late Georgian 3-storey 2-window house, of scribed roughcast front and rubble stone side and rear walls with slate lintels, slate roof on projecting boarded eaves, brick stack to the L and roughcast stack to the rear wing. The W elevation to the street has tripartite small-pane sash windows, with sill bands in the middle and upper storeys. The middle-storey sill band is continued as a coping to a wall on the L side of the house continuous with the front elevation and abutting the Town Wall, which has a round arch with dressed-stone surround and double iron gates with spear finials.

The L (N) gable end is stepped in plan, with windows inserted mid C20 on the R side, and portico with cast iron posts set back on the L side. This is the main entrance and has a panelled door with small-pane overlight. Above it is a 12-pane hornless sash in the middle and 12-pane horned sash window in the upper storey. The rear wall of the main house has, at the R end, two 12-pane hornless sashes lighting the stair. A lower 3-storey rear wing has, in its 2-window side wall, a boarded door to the R, 16-pane hornless sash window to the L and replaced middle and upper-storey windows, with a window inserted middle R. At the rear is an added lean-to with mid C20 detail including garages in the lower storey and a balcony above.

Interior

The entrance hall has a full-height open-well stair with wreathed hand rail, plain balusters, and moulded tread ends. The stair hall has scribed plaster walls, classical cornice and central ceiling rose. Doors to the main rooms (now separate flats) have mahogany panel doors.

Reason for designation

Listed as a well-preserved early C19 gentry town house in the strong Georgian tradition of Caernarfon, and for its contribution to the historic integrity of the walled town.