Gunley Hall

Cadw's description

Location

Located overlooking the valley of the Camlad, close to the English border, and on the E flank of its former parkland. A dairy is placed opposite the house to the rear, and the stables enclose the rear yard on the E.

History

Gunley was held with other border estates by the Pryce family from the early C15, a Richard Pryce of Gunley bequeathing the house to his wife in 1602. A descedant, Capt. Richard Pryce, a distinguished Parliamentarian officer, who demolished Montgomery Castle, became sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1651-2. The form of the building in the C18 was a 2-storey central block with a central storeyed porch and taller gabled wings. The present building of 1810, by John Hiram Heycock was set in front of the old, the entrances aligning. A new wing was built at the E end in 1906, reputedly for a son expected back from military service overseas, but he did not return. The early building was demolished in the 1950's, revealing 24 horses' skulls beneath the floor of a room in the W wing, presumably placed there for acoustic purposes. The property was sold in the early 1960's to a Lord Mayor of London, also Pryce, and has since been sold away from its parkland. The building has been extensively restored after damage by earthquakes in 1884, 1987 and 1991.

Exterior

The present front of 1810, is in a late Georgian style, rendered in Roman cement and lined out as ashlar, recently stone painted. The building is of 2 storeys, 5 bays, the central one recessed, with a projecting porch of Cefn or similar stone; attached Ionic columns and entablature forming a parapet to a concealed flat roof. Pair of oak glazed doors with overlight, and a similar inner pair of doors. To either side, 15-pane sash windows to the ground floor extending down to the external plinth, set within slightly projecting surrounds and triangular moulded pediments. The upper floor windows are of 12-pane sashes with stone sills. Wide boarded modilion eaves to the hipped slate roof. At the E end, a further 3-bay block containing a reception saloon was added in 1906, set forward from the facade, and in a matching style.

Interior

The entrance leads to a stair hall with an apsidal end, containing a flying stair with scrolled handrail, austerely detailed with stick balusters and simple cut brackets to the treads. The billiard room to the left had an Adam style fireplace with Delft tiles, now replaced. Six-panelled doors, the middle panels square. The added saloon has an imposing oak chimneypiece dated 1906, having 2-stage twin fluted columns with gadrooned capitals and a stone fireplace. Panelled shutters with fluted architraves and dentilled entablatures.

Reason for designation

Included as a fine late Georgian house associated with an important Montgomeryshire family.