Kennels, cottage and saw mill at Talacre Abbey (also known as The Kennels)

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 300m SW of the house on the N side of the main driveway to the house from Gronant.

History

Talacre Abbey was built 1824-9 by Thomas Jones, architect, for Sir Edward Mostyn, on the site of an earlier house. Jones also designed a number of estate buildings, including the Home Farm, and probably also designed the sawmill, cottage and kennels, which are shown on the 1839 Tithe map. The saw mill was water-powered and fed by a mill pond on the S side of a track leading to the house, which is shown on the 1871 Ordnance Survey.

Exterior

A 4-storey house and mill on a steep site. The house is 2 storeys and faces the track to the S. The mill below it is 2-storey and faces N to the lower ground where there is a courtyard with kennels. The N side is polygonal and the cottage is slightly stepped inwards. Of snecked rubble stone with lintelled openings and graded slate roof with central paired stone stack. The front of the house has a doorway and flanking windows, all boarded up, under hood moulds linked by a string course, and set below the level of the track. In the upper storey is a single window to the centre with hood mould. The rear of the dwelling has 2-light casements to each facet in its lower storey and corresponding 2-light casements alternating with blind windows in its upper storey. The mill below it has, in its lower storey, 2 doorways in each side wall and windows in each facet, all boarded up. The upper storey has small windows in its side walls.

The courtyard has a polygonal N side respecting the mill plan and retaining walls flanking the mill and cottage. On each side are 2 former kennels in the facets, of which the NW retains a corrugated iron roof while the others are roofless and the SE is ruined and overgrown. A gateway is in the N facet, and on the SW side are stone steps from the track above.

Reason for designation

Listed as a well-preserved C19 estate building of distinctive character, and as an integral component of the extensive outbuildings associated with Talacre Abbey.