Bron Hendre

Cadw's description

Location

At right-angles to road and slightly set back.

History

An earlier house was shown here on the 1834 town plan, which was incorporated into a larger house erected in the mid C19 and shown on the 1889 Ordnance Survey in its present form. In 1844 the house was the property of the Reverend James Hews Bransby, founder of Carnarvon Grammar and Collegiate School (also known as Ysgol Jones Bach) situated opposite the house, and accommodated boarders at the school. The house has been converted to a health clinic.

Exterior

A 2-storey 3-bay late Georgian style house, of coursed dressed stone, hipped graded-slate roof on wide panelled eaves with end brackets, and coursed stone stack to the R and behind. Windows are hornless sashes. The asymmetrical N front has a central shallow porch with pediment. It has a 4-centred arch leading to a panelled door incorporating raised fields and a neo-classical wrought iron overlight. To the R is a canted bay with a shield in relief to its parapet, and 16-pane window. On the L side is a 15-pane tripartite window. The upper storey has 12-pane windows. The rendered L end wall has small-pane windows under a gable and a rendered 2-bay former service wing set further back and perhaps adapted from the earlier house. In the upper storey it has a 12-pane windows to the L and added escape doorway stairs to the R in the position of a former window, and has similar windows in the lower storey.

The R end wall is 2-bay, of which the wider L-hand bay has a segmental bow. Both bays have tripartite small-pane windows in the lower storey and 12-pane windows above. The rear has a blank pedimented porch, which has a narrow 6-pane window in its R side wall. Further R are an 8-pane and 12-pane window, while the upper storey has 12-pane windows to the centre and R of centre. The service wing, the upper storey of which is scribed render, has an 8-pane window lower L and added gabled projection to the R. Its upper storey has 12-pane windows, replaced to the L side.

Interior

The entrance vestibule has a plaster ceiling rose and classical cornice. This leads into the central stair hall, which has an open-well stair with wreathed hand rail, plain balusters and moulded tread ends. The lower storey retains panelled doors in moulded surrounds.

Reason for designation

Listed as a well-detailed and well-preserved mid C19 house retaining original character, contributing the strong Georgian tradition in Caernarfon, and for its association with the former Carnarvon Grammar and Collegiate School.