Porthamel

Cadw's description

Location

Located 700m SE of the A4080 Brynsiencyn Road, at the end of a single track drive. In front of the house is a walled terrace with dressed coping; central steps down to the lawn are flanked by dressed stone piers surmounted with urns.

History

A large house built on the site of the ancient hamlet of Porthamel, which was recorded in an extent of 1294 as paying for rent of assize £4 18s. 3¼d. per annum. In 1335 Porthamel is described as a free hamlet consisting of seven weles (or gwely, lit. a 'bed') which paid £5 10s. 6d. per annum and rendered suit and service. In the first half of the C16 a new house was built at Porthamel, probably by Rowland Bulkeley: the ground-plan and fabric of this house are probably incorporated in the present building, but the only surviving detail is the reset doorway the porch, and possibly the inglenook fireplace to the hall. In c1700 a stair wing was added to the rear to form a T-plan. The front of the house was remodelled, probably during the C18, and the walls were raised to add an attic storey. In the mid C19 (1856), George Ives, Lord Boston, moved from his residence at Llanidan House to Porthamel. He subsequently remodelled the existing house by further raising the walls into 3 gables, and adding lean-to 2-storey wings either side (although that to left may in fact be earlier), and a further extension to the stair wing. Lord Boston also built the servants' quarters, coach-house and stable yard to the side and rear of the house. The house became a hotel during the post-war years, and is now a private house.

Exterior

Large house, symmetrically planned with central porch. Three storey, 3 gable, 5 window central range with 2 storey lean-to, single window wing each side. Walls to main house are of roughly coursed pink and grey gritstone rubble, moulded plinth, with a change in masonry to more squared blocks above the first floor windows, continuing to mid-way up the second storey windows, with the gables built of random rubble masonry, reflecting the successive phases of construction. The lintels to the ground floor are square-headed with keystones, the first and second storey windows have plain stone lintels, with slate hood moulds. Slated pitched roof with 3 gables to front with scroll-work decoration to bargeboards. Rectangular stacks to either gable end (raised in brick) and to end of addition to stair wing. Windows to main part are 12-pane sashes; to the left wing are 16-pane sashes, and to the right wing a 6-pane sash to the ground floor and a 16-pane sash to the first floor. The central porch contains a re-set and widened 4-centred doorway with moulded head and jambs, in a rectangular moulded architrave with decorative work to spandrels, flanked by red sandstone piers, each with 2 moulded recessed panels. Inserted in the wall above the piers are stones bearing initials: to the right "R B" for Rowland Bulkeley, and to the left "A C" for his wife Ales Conway. Above the door, enclosed by a rectangular moulded architrave, is a central stone with three elements; to the left a shield bearing a chevron between between 3 stag's heads, and to the right another shield bearing a chevron between 3 cornish choughs; set between are the initials "R B" over "E B" for Richard Bulkeley and wife Elizabeth. To the left and right are stones bearing "B" over "R M" over "1653" for Rowland Bulkeley, who married Mary Tudur. Side walls of sandstone ashlar with pointed arch windows with simple gothick style glazing bars either side, over which are initials "R M" over "1655".

The walls of the left lean-to wing are similar to the lower walls of the main house and the 16-pane windows have flat stone arch lintels; the walls of the wing to right are of a more reddish colour with square-headed stone lintels to the windows. Return elevation of left wing has small 2 storey projecting wing terminating in a full height canted bay facing E, now with French windows to ground floor and with 12-pane sash windows to first floor, with the central window jettied and supported on piers either side of the French windows. Central stair wing to rear of main block, extended in the mid C19, with rubble walls and pitched slate roof.

Interior

Original C16 house probably of cross-passage form, with rear central stair wing added c1700; a dog-leg stair with moulded spring and rail, turned balusters, and panelled dado. Entrance hall with C19 patterned mosaic floor; main hall to left has wide inglenook fireplace with basket arch of rubble voussoirs, possibly part of the original house, with broach-stopped chamfered beams and crossbeams. Deep window reveals, with fielded panelling. Internal elliptical archways between rooms. Said by RCAHMW to include 2 panel doors to first floor.

Reason for designation

Listed as a large country house developed from C16 origins by C18 and C19 remodelling. The porch contains re-set elements of the C16 house including the doorway and datestones (with initials and estate arms), the interior retains the early C18 staircase, and there is significant mid C19 detailing both internally and externally.