St Mary's House

Cadw's description

Location

At the end of a short drive S off Heywood Lane the entrance between Gable End and Hill Cottage.

History

Georgian Villa of 1838, recorded as a House and Pleasure Gardens on the 1841 Tithe Apportionment. Said to have been built on the site of the medieval convent of St Mary Magdalene. Part of the small early C19 suburb developed from 1823 by Richard Rice Nash, alderman, the villas generally in the cottage style, this one more formal with hipped roof.

In an agreement of 1838 William Richards of Croft House leased to Richard Nash of Rose Villa (possibly the modern Rosemount) a piece of ground above the Green from Green Villa gate to Rose Villa gate to build a dwelling house. The accompanying plan shows the site to be this one.

It was occupied from 1840 by Lt-Col Thomas Wedgwood, d 1855, to whom the fountain in Tudor Square was erected. Tenby Museum has leases of 1876, 1881 (to the photographer Charles Allen) and 1883. Occupied by Sackville Herbert Owen 1901 to 1920. Converted to four flats in 2014.

A range to the N, said to have been a chapel, was rebuilt in 1977 as a 2-storey flat-roofed block. Of the 6 arched niches in the screen wall, one survives. A 2-storey block to the rear (The Annexe) and The Chapel are separate dwellings.

Exterior

Villa, white-painted stucco with slate shallow-pitched hipped eaves roof. Flat boarded eaves. Two storeys, the front range raised on a high basement, with broad 3-bay E front reached up flight of stuccoed steps from right to terrace with parapet. Centre Tudor-arched chamfered doorway, originally open, into porch with plaster quadripartite vault on 4 small head corbels. Tudor-arched half-glazed door within. Three large paired plate-glass late C19 sash windows on first floor and two larger similar triple sash windows on ground floor, all with louvred shutters. Centre bay is framed by piers up to eaves which are chamfered on inner edge, string course between at mid height, and eaves are brought forward slightly above. Basement window to ground floor right.

S end to the garden has later C19 gabled additions to the left. Original range has 2 bays, one sash above, 2 paired sashes below, with hoodmoulds. Added gable to left has big canted 2-storey bay with hoodmoulded French windows to ground floor and plate glass sashes above. Narrower gable to left again has 4-pane sash over French window, both with hoods. Rear wing set back, running W, has W end stack, hipped W lean-to and one window each floor on S side.

N end of original house has basement window to left, ground floor right cross-window with small-paned glazing (perhaps the only survivor of the original windows) and first floor cross-window above, without the small panes.

A curved battlemented screen wall with arched doorway extends N to link to a C20 block.

To right of main house, rear ranges set back: first a gable in lined stucco with overhanging verges, 2-window range, upper left obscured by slate-hung projection, upper right C20 metal window, ground floor original 12-pane hornless sash in recessed surround and glazed double-door with overlight to right. Next section to right has first floor casement each side of casement pair, with top-lights. Slate steps lead down to left to 6-panel basement door in rear wall of main house.

Interior

Spacious interior with high ceilings, centre hall with C19 encaustic tiles, rear staircase which curves up to straight landing. Niche half way up, ramped rail and stick balusters. Square lantern lights stair, with moulding around base. Principal front rooms have plaster cornices and 6-panel doors in moulded architraves with rosette blocks in angles. Left room has ornate oak-leaf ceiling border, ceiling rose with acanthus motifs, and C19 marble fireplace.

Reason for designation

Included for special architectural and historic interest as a substantial detached early Victorian villa.