Plas Bodegroes

Cadw's description

Location

The house stands in its own parkland and gardens, reached by a driveway from Bodegroes Lodge on the main road from Pwllheli to the NW.

History

The building was built in its present form in 1780 (date on rainwater hoppers) on land formerly belonging to St Beuno, Clynnog, for William Griffith (1748-1816), and probably to the design of Joseph Bromfield, architect of Shrewsbury. He possibly incorporated some fabric of an earlier building on the site. The gardens are included in the national Register of Historic Gardens under reference PGW(Gd)15(GWY).

Exterior

Built of stone and rendered, with a slate roof with wide bracketed eaves and verges, tall gable end rendered stacks. Two storeys and attics, five window SW front overlooking the gardens, and entrance at the right side within stone arches supporting a vaulted veranda. This extends across the main front as a shallow pitched lean-to slated roof on clustered iron columns, and returns on the NW side. The main front has French doors to the veranda, the centre pair with diagonal glazing bars and decorative fanlight. The first floor windows are 12-pane sashes with floating segmental cornices over. Three rooflights to the attics. The entrance at the side has a pair of part-glazed doors with a decorative overlight, all framed by a tall classically derived doorcase, the cornice extending as a springing for the vault of the veranda. On the NW gable end the veranda abuts a 2-storey bow window with flat roof, and glazed doors to the ground floor dining room.

Interior

The entrance opens to a lobby, with a stair hall on the right, containing an elegant open-well flying stair with a mahogany handrail on stick balusters. Openings into the stair hall are arched with slender architraves, and it has a corniced coved ceiling with central laylight. A vaulted passage with pilasters and cornice leads to the central garden door. Ceiling roses. Six panelled doors. The main parlour has an antico verde marble fireplace.

Reason for designation

Included at Grade II* as a fine example of a small elegant country house of the later C18, retaining good internal features.