Orielton Field Centre

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in wooded parkland and approached by a long drive from North Lodge, Clay Lane.

History

C17, C18 and 1810 great county house of the Owen family; said to have been built in 1656 and rebuilt in 1734. Described in 1802 as "neither ancient nor modern, being fronted with brick, and the frames of the windows and the cornerstones of freestone, somewhat in the style of Llanforda (near Oswestry) before it was burnt". Remodelled in 1810 for Sir John Owen the extent of the alterations uncertain but presumably including the present interiors and the exterior stucco. The Owen family came from Bodowen, Anglesey; in 1571 HugháOwen married the heiress of the Wyrriots of Orielton (a family recorded there from 1188) and died 1613. His grandson Sir Hugh Owen, 1st Baronet (d 1670), inherited and may have built the core of the present house. Sir Arthur, 3rd Baronet, may have rebuilt before his death in 1754. Sir Hugh, 6th Baronet, was a minor and died young in 1809. He left the estate, but not the title, to his cousin John Lord of Pembroke, later John Owen who was made baronet in 1813. He rebuilt the house immediately but by 1820 was heavily in debt, spent vastly on the election of 1831, sold the furniture from Orielton in 1842 and the rest of the estate 1856. In the later C19 the E front was shortened by five bays.

Exterior

Three-storey and basement plain mansion in painted stucco with C20 timber cornice concealing low roof. Minimal detailing, angle pilasters, sill bands and eaves band; the windows all 8-pane, long to ground floor, shorter above and camber-headed to upper floor. East entrance front is now of eight bays with large porch in centre, and 16-paned basement windows below. [Formerly there were two matching porches linked by a 3-bay tent verandah.] W garden front is an unrelieved 11-bays wide. Older photographs show a prominent array of chimney stacks lost since 1911. N end service entrance rises a full four storeys. S end has 4-bay front with arcaded main floors, with plain half round piers, said to have been an internal orangery. Tripartite windows with wide fanlights to first floor, C20 ground-floor windows or blank openings and tall garden door with fanlight. Carved painted Owen arms between upper windows and armorial hoppers to two downpipes.

E front porch is corniced with Roman Doric columns oddly paired in depth, and pilaster responds. Fine half-glazed early C19 doors and big rectangular overlight with barbed radiating metal bars and some coloured glass.

Interior

Exceptional full-height stair hall with open-well cantilevered stone staircase in French Empire style rising full-height, iron balusters and reeded rail. Moulded cornices to landing soffits and top ceiling, with centre rose. 6-panel doors. Three principal surviving rooms on W front. 3-window NE room with dark marble fireplace, acanthus cornice and vine-trail border, centre rose with radiating trails. 3-window centre room with fine plasterwork, acanthus cornice, coved border and anthemion scrolls in ceiling corners. Centrepiece with radiating trails. White marble E wall fireplace. Double doors each end and panelled shutters. 2-window SE room has marble fireplace with reeded panels, similar moulded cornice, ceiling border and centre motif.

Basement has indications of various building periods, thick spine wall, oak beams and one room with simple ceiling decoration of circle and quadrants, possibly late C17, also various fielded panelled doors and shutters.