Saxonbury Nursing Home (formerly Haverang House)

Cadw's description

Location

A turning off the west side of Hereford Road at the extreme edge of Abergavenny in a north-east direction.

History

Built as Haverang House in 1884-5 (owner says 1893) and probably designed by E A Johnson. The wings were added in 1988-9 and were designed by Hugh Williamson.

Exterior

Built of yellow brick with red brick bands and a red tile roof. Large rectangular block facing south-west with a lower block and the entrance on the north-east (street) elevation.
Street elevation: Three storeys to the rear of the main block. This has the centre bay with the gabled entrance porch canted out from the corner in front of the ground floor with timber framing above a stone base, and a mullion window above and behind it. This lights the hall and stair as does the mullion-and-transom window above it; between them are four terracotta relief panels, two of one design above a different one, and split by the narrow red brick floor band. Above the upper window is a shaped gable with stone dressings, a central terracotta relief and a spike finial to the apex. The right hand bay has a 2 over 2 pane sash on each floor, the top one being smaller and with a smaller triangular gable with terracotta relief. The left hand bay is obscured except for the upper floor, by the lower wing but is otherwise the same. The wing has a canted bay to the left with a 2 over 2 pane sash flanked by 1 over 1s. Smaller 2 over 2 pane sash above and another small triangular gable with terracotta relief. To the right of the bay is a single 1 over 1 pane sash with blind walling above, another gable with window in right return above porch. Plain hipped roof which has lost all its chimney stacks.
Garden elevation: Three storeys, six windows. The left hand side is a two storeyed canted bay with 1 + 2 + 1 windows, all 2 over 2 over 2 panes, with plain 2 over 2 pane ones above. The centre of this bay rises to a triple sash with 1 over 1 panes in a shaped Flemish gable, tiled roofs over the canted sides. To the right are paired 2 over 2 pane sashes on two floors and smaller paired 2 over 2 sashes on the third floor. These support a small triangular gable. Both gables have terracotta relief panels as before.
The return elevations have more plain sashes and the truncated stacks. Both have modern wings added, two storeys to the left and one to the right.

Interior

The interior retains an open-well staircase with turned balusters and newel posts of late C17 style but is otherwise plain and altered in its present use as a care home. The staircase windows have the original coloured glass.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as a well preserved late C19 house retaining definite character, which was probably designed by a noted local architect.