Asthal House, including garden steps, gates and walls with terracotta dressings

Cadw's description

Location

On a west facing slope at the south end of the town.

History

Built in 1909-10 for Thomas Smith Foster, the Abergavenny building contractor, and probably designed by his brother, Edwin Foster, an architect and surveyor, who lived in Bella Vista in Monmouth Road just across from Fosterville Crescent. The brothers seem to have developed their own land at Fosterville Crescent. The house has been remarkably little altered since building, as shown by the plans dated 1909 which survive in the house.

Exterior

Built of coursed, squared rock-faced red sandstone rubble with caramel coloured terracotta quoins and window and door dressings, red tile roof with yellow brick stacks. A large square house which is centrally planned around a hall and staircase. Two storeys and basement, three bays with the entrance in the centre. The street front is raised high on the basement with steps up to the door. Double panelled doors with fanlight and terracotta surround with open pediment on brackets; 1 over 1 pane sash window above, with a keyed, rusticated framed with stiff-leaf caps. Wide shallow two-storey canted bays to either side of the entrance. These have 1 + 2 + 1 windows as before and a broad band of stiff-leaf decoration below the upper windows. All windows are 1 over 1 pane sashes with the curved meeting rail characteristic of this development. Bay roofs with spike finials. Roof with tall weathered stacks to either side and a central octagonal belvedere surrounded by a fence in the manner of houses of the Carolean period. Left return elevation has a full height square sided bay windows, while the right return has two plain sashes on each floor.
Concrete steps to front door are original. Rubble street wall with rounded terracotta capping, square piers with ball finials (one missing to left), wrought iron gate.
Rear elevation not inspected.

Interior

The interior is remarkably unchanged with some of its original decorative treatment. Only the ground floor was seen at resurvey. Its character is slightly old fashioned for 1909 being of the Bedford Park/Aesthetic Movement type with white and cream painted woodwork and shelves and rails for displaying blue-and-white Japanese porcelain. All the joinery in the hall and main rooms survives as does the decorative ironmongery, Walter Crane doorplates etc and the main fireplaces. The hall retains its panelling and the original marble chip composite floor. The staircase is a Jacobean type straight flight one with carved balusters. It is not top lit, despite the external appearance of the house. The belvedere on the roof which gives access to the leads, is purely for looking at the remarkable view towards the Blorenge, now rather spoiled by Mill Street Industrial Estate.

Reason for designation

Included for its architectural interest as a very little altered house of 1909 which retains much definite character and detail. It is part of an interesting c1900 housing development designed and built by the Fosters, a local family of architect and builder and was lived in by Thomas Foster, the latter.