Rickeston Hall

Cadw's description

Location

On the bend in a minor road W from Robeston West, some 750m E of Rickeston Bridge.

History

Gentry house of c. 1840 added to house and farm yard of c. 1800. Owned by the Roch family from C17, Nicholas Roch High Sheriff 1675, another Nicholas Roch in 1733. George Roch married Martha Allen of Gelliswick and the estate passed to the Allen family in the early C19. The present house seems to be a front building of the mid C19 which backs onto a later C18 domestic range and attached L-plan outbuildings, which are the principal buildings of interest.

Exterior

House, added front range is altered. Rendered with slate close-eaved roof. C20 uPVC windows to 2-storey, 3-window front, the ground floor windows wide, replacing former tripartite sashes. Centre blank doorway. Right end wall is roughcast and windowless with right rear wing running back with rendered ridge stack and 2-storey, 2-window range of 12-pane sashes. Six-panel door in left bay with arched fanlight, in C19 glazed porch. Whitewashed roughcast rear left wing with grouted slate roof and rendered stack on ridge (similar position to chimney on other wing, possibly originally end walls). Two-storey three window range, 12-pane sashes remain in left bay and first floor of right bay, uPVC windows in centre bay and ground floor right. Six-panel door to left. Slate sills.
Rear courtyard, to left is old house, range of L-plan outbuildings to right. House has grouted slate roof, hipped to right, with left end short rendered stack. Three-window range, three blocked square upper windows, ground floor 12-pane hornless sash to left, door to centre and low pantry window to right, all with stone voussoirs. Right end wall has similar pantry window set low.
Range to left is formal of three bays with row of dove holes under eaves, with grouted slate roof, stone chimney to right of centre bay. Three square-headed recesses, the centre one wider, offset to left. Three openings, centre wide elliptical arched coach-entry with stone voussoirs and double broad doors, left one has door with timber lintel, right one has stone voussoirs to square-headed doorway, over lower, narrower cambered headed door.
The range at right angles has higher grouted slate roof, hipped down at right, gabled at left. Centre stable door with stone voussoirs and vent loop each side. A whitewashed stone platform in front of door has steps up to left of door, and extends along facade to right with further steps up to a plank door under eaves to right. Board door to ground floor, right of steps, in angle to main range. Roofless lean-to on left end.
Rear of outbuildings has blocked carriage arch with stone voussoirs in big square-headed recess, roof hipped at angle to right.

Interior

Interior of old house, mostly storage, pegged pine roof trusses. New house has mid C19 staircase with stick balusters, scrolled tread ends and ramped rail. Two arched doors on landing with fanlights, panelled thin piers and double doors.

Reason for designation

Included as despite alterations as an earlier C19 gentry house of character with an older house and farmyard of c. 1800.