Dolforgan Hall

Cadw's description

Location

Located on the valley bottom at the end of a driveway leading off the main road 1km W of Kerry village, and set amid its former estate, with stable building, formal garden, and shrubbery.

History

The house, which is approximately square with two main elevations to E and S, has extensive service buildings to the N and W. It occupies the site of a C17 and possibly earlier manor, the residence of the Fox family. After coming into the possession of the Herberts in the mid C17, and a beneficial marriage settlement in 1772, it was largely rebuilt c1790 for John Herbert of Park, as mentioned in Fenton's Tour, leaving some C17 work to the rear. It remained in Herbert possession until a successor married Walter Long the Younger of Wiltshire in 1846, but it was settled on his father after his untimely death, who passed it to Richard Penruddocke Long, High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1858. He was forced to sell the heavily encumbered estate to James Walton in 1870 who sold it on to John William Willans, a distinguished engineer, in 1894. In the early C20 the estate was in the hands of the Jones family in whose possession it remains. It is now divided into five self-contained flats. The architect of the main Adamesque elevations is not known, but possibly was John Johnson (Haslam).

Exterior

Brick with a hipped late roof hidden by raised parapets. The garden front, facing S, is rendered and painted brick with stone detailing. Three storeys, 5 bays, symmetrical, with an open loggia on 4 Ionic columns in antis at the centre, the entablature carried through to the ends of the building. The slightly wider end bays have each a single opening with moulded and eared architrave, now doorways. The first floor has plain 12-pane sashes, and square 6-pane sash windows to the attic floor. The E elevation is also of 5 bays, with pilasters flanking the wider centre bay. Central entrance, a 6-panelled door, is set within a tetrastyle Ionic portico with attached pilasters at the back, and an iron capping balustrade. Interrupted stone string course between first and second floors, and parapet carrying urns over the pilasters, and a small central panel with a wyvern (the Herbert crest). Twelve-paned sashes, the central window above the portico having a shallow segmental Adamesque fan tympanum. Six-paned windows to top floor. Brick extension to N, set back.

Interior

The portico entrance opens into a square hall, which leads to a square stair hall to the rear, having a wide timber stair with quarter landings, bracketed treads, stick balusters, and the landing faced with a running scroll. Opening from the stair hall to the S, a parlour, with marble fireplace, elaborate plaster cornice, and outline-panelled walls. Double mahogany doors of the best quality open into the former dining room in the E corner of the house. This also has a marble fireplace, line-panelled walls, and a moulded cornice and oval patterned ceiling. To the rear (SW) of the stair hall, an added billiard room with top lantern, and recessed gothic cupboard.

Reason for designation

Included at Grade II* as the major gentry house of Kerry, with good C18 facades and a fine interior, in a good contemporary setting.