The Old Rectory

Cadw's description

Location

On the N side of Llandefaelog Fach at the end of a drive some 200m NW of the Church of Saint Maelog.

History

Former rectory built for the Rev Gilbert Harries in 1857-8 to plans by Charles Buckeridge (1833-73), the first of the series of works by Buckeridge for Harries, in this area, around Gelligaer in Glamorgan and around Harries' family seat at Solva, Pembrokeshire. Buckeridge was a significant Victorian Gothic architect, pupil of Sir George Gilbert Scott, but died young. This is one of his first works after he set up practice in 1856 in Oxford. Original plans show a T-plan house with drawing-room in E, study in N, and dining-room in S gables, with porch in NE angle. The kitchen and service stair were in the W lean-to range, with cellars, and a single-storey scullery, coal-shed and WC range linked to lofted coach-house and stable on W side of service yard. First floor had two bedrooms, a day nursery and a night nursery. Building remains much as built apart from C20 flat roofed addition on S side of drawing-room.

Exterior

Former rectory, rubble stone with steep purple slate roofs, banded in blue slate. Domestic Gothic style. Two storeys and attic, T-plan with porch in NE angle and broad 2-storey service range lean-to on W side.
Massive chimneys with sides sloped in, and string course under short tops. Two on W side at joint with lean-to roof and one, now roughcast on S wall face.
N side has big gable to right, lean-to porch against E side, in angle to windowless N side of E gable. Gable has two-light small-paned windows, flush to wall-face, without sills. Chamfered and stopped mullion and jambs, shorter to attic, with cement hoodmoulds. Pointed relieving arches over lower windows. Porch has single similar casement each floor to N and doorway to E with pointed relieving arch and massive stone lintel over panelled door.
E gable end has similar flush mullion windows, all with stone relieving arches, 2-light to upper floors, three-light to ground floor.
S side has single light to right of flat-roofed two-storey C20 addition. Large roughcast chimney-stack on original wall-face behind. S gable to left has stone hoodmoulds over purple sandstone lintels and pointed relieving arches to all openings, 6-pane sash to each upper floor, and C20 French window paired with original long 2-light with small panes.
W side has two stone stacks on side of main roof and lean-to with close-eaves and roughcast chimney at right corner. One first floor casement to left and a very small casement pair left of centre to first floor, ground floor has three casements with timber lintels, the left one shorter, the right one with pointed relieving arch. N end has single light each floor, the lower one with pointed relieving arch. S end has single light over French window.
Single storey scullery range runs W from S end, with door and window, and two doors.
Coach-house and stable range has N end big cambered arched coach-entry with stone voussoirs, big double loft doors over with pointed relieving arch. Tooled angle quoins. E side has casement pair to right, door and window to left (former stable). Gothic arched window in S end wall, with stone voussoirs. S side of low scullery range has door to left.

Interior

N porch enters via pointed arch into narrow hall with stair to S. Dog-leg stair with chamfered and stopped newels and balusters, and closed string. Large room to E has modern fireplace. To W, a passage with S drawing room with ashlar Caernarvon-arched fireplace, chamfered with bar stops, shelf over. Moulded cornice. Four-panel doors in raised chamfered and stopped surrounds. N of passage is former study with panelled shutters. Passage runs W to NW service stair and SW kitchen. First floor bedrooms and nurseries. Service stair up to attic rooms with narrow fireplaces.

Reason for designation

Included for its special architectural interest as a Victorian Gothic rectory of definite quality and little altered.