The Gro

Cadw's description

Location

Reached by a track to the south of the A495 Llansantffraid to Oswestry road, to the south of Bryn Tanat. On low lying ground beside the River Tanat.

History

Dated 1729 over entrance and initialled M N E (possibly altered from M N A). The house was originally of two storeys, but in the C19 the front was heightened and the roof reconstructed at a shallower pitch. Some modern alterations at rear.

Exterior

A house of two storeys and attic with the main elevations in red brick, facing south. Three window symmetrical front mostly with irregular bonding, heightened in C19 in English Garden Wall bond and given slate roof with wide boxed eaves and large gabled dormers. Plinth; plat-band over ground storey; red brick end chimney stacks including projecting breast, rebuilt in C19, to right hand gable end. The main windows are small-pane timber casements with cambered heads and brick voussoirs; simple small-pane casements to attic. Six-panel door to central entrance with inscribed datestone above and flanked by blocked narrow windows; later gabled timber porch with apex finial.

The right gable end wall is in brickwork, the left in quasi-rubble masonry. Two small blocked windows to right; low extension to east side of rear elevation. Three-window rear in quasi-rubble masonry with small square-headed windows, one replaced to ground floor; central doorway blocked. C20 single-storey rear extension with end-chimney.

Interior

Not inspected at resurvey, but said in 1992 to retain square-framed timber partitions from the original early C18 house; late-Georgian work included introduction of six-panel doors, and more recently quarry tiled floors had been laid. Entrance onto a central stairwell; the main room to right said to have a stop-chamfered cross beam and modernised fireplace. To left were formerly two rooms with an angled chimney to the front parlour and no heating to the service room to the rear; the head beam to the partition indicated there was an 'in and out' partition between the two. Staircase with modern balustrade; upstairs beams boxed in and the attic ceiled at collar level.

Reason for designation

Listed for the special interest of its well preserved early C18 character.