Garthmyl House

Cadw's description

Location

Reached via a straight tree-lined drive, 0.25 Km SE of the junction with the A483 main road. Situated on low lying land between the River Severn and the Montgomeryshire Canal.

History

The external Georgian appearance of the house largely results from a c1790 enlargement and remodelling: the house has C17 origins, and indications of earlier C18 work. There have been some modern alterations. It is said to have been formerly part of the Glansevern Estate, and it is shown on the 1st edition OS map as Lower Garthmyl.

Exterior

Red brick (Flemish bond) with slate roof, wide boarded eaves band brick chimney stacks. 3-storeys, with twin gabled main elevations. Entrance front faces SW with cambered arched window openings, 1-window to left hand gable and 2-windows to right. Mostly these are flush-set sashes, tow of which are small-paned; small-paned casement window to the left; keystone to window over entrance which is a 6-panelled part-glazed door with tall 6-pane overlight in a modern trellised porch. There are several blocked openings on this elevation - for example a 1st floor window and evidence of the entrance having been moved twice. 3-window symmetrical SE front, with flat valley between gables. Square voussoir heads to small-paned sash windows (6, 9 and 12 paned); stone sills; central glazed garden doors. Shallow plinth continues around to the NE side with various asymmetrically placed sash windows, mostly horned and with blue brick sills. The left hand of the two gables has only one window (to the second storey) and below is a distinctive brick cornice band with saw tooth and dentil ornament - this may well be the remains of the eaves cornice of the earlier C18 building, although there is no clear change in the brickwork above to indicate heightening; the band stops short of both the corner and the junction of the two gables. The right hand gable has 2 windows to both upper floors and a Victorian shallow splayed bay below with segmental relieving arch, modern French windows and glazing. 2-storey service wing to NW end with earlier origins: red brick to front (SW) and rubble to rear (NE), cemented to ground floor. Mostly modern windows to 2-window front; good iron and cross-framed small casement to first floor on NW end of the main house; flush-set small-paned sash window below, beside half-glazed back door with cambered head. At the rear of the service range is an attached screen wall running forward, formerly with trellised corridor linking to the billiard room which forms the S range of an L-plan outbuilding with tall weathervane.

Interior

The plan form is complicated by the various remodellings and alterations. Narrow central entrance hall around which are the main rooms, one of which is entered through a diagonally set corner door. 4-pane doors and panelled reveals and broadly reeded architraves. Drawing room has dado, reeded cornice and arched openings. Altered archway to hall beneath main staircase which has straight balusters. Simpler back stairs. Similar plan to fist floor, but with 6-panel doors. Some ornamented iron firegrates. Open, twin purlin roof to service range.

Reason for designation

Listed as a substantial and largely late C18 farmhouse retaining earlier origins.