Llansantffraid Court Hotel

Cadw's description

Location

On the eastern boundary of the Community about 400m north of the A40 and approached off the Raglan road up the hotel drive to the north of Aberffrwd Bridge.

History

Built 1912 (dated) and designed by Fairfax B Wade and C Frankis for J Herbert. The design was probably based on Edwin Lutyens' Monkton House at West Dean in Sussex. The house appears to have been very little altered externally.

Exterior

Built of red brick with vitrified headers, raised quoins and some decorative tile work, tile roof with brick stacks. Compact country house built in the Wrenaissance style of Lutyens, Reginald Blomfield and Herbert Baker. Double depth plan with spine corridor, seven bays by four and with the roof hipped in both directions. Two storeys and attics.
North (entrance) front. This has a recessed centre, so 2 + 3 + 1 bays. Tuscan porch with paired columns, probably an alteration flanked by arched windows with raised brick voussoirs. All other windows are large small-paned mullion-and-transom panes. Coved cornice to the recessed centre. Steeply pitched roof with five gabled dormers with 2-light casements. Large stack visible behind the centre of the ridge. Lower atone wing attached on the left, also an addition.
West front. Four window front dominated by a modern double perron stair in a Lutyenesque manner. This rises to the central first floor windows and is flanked by two very large and tall externally expressed stacks. The stairs have turned stone balusters and a moulded stone handrail. The left flight has an arched door beneath the landing and the right one goes into the end of the south front arcade. The first floor has the windows separated by the chimneys thus, W : C : W : W : C : W , and the dormers above likewise. Roof hipped overall with the chimneys rising above the ridge.
South (garden) front. This has seven bays with the centre three set forward. Three tall French casements with small panes and arched heads; all others are mullion-and -transom ones as before. Coved cornice over the central three bays, five dormers as before.

Interior

The interior has an arched stone paved hall with steps rising to a vaulted spine corridor. The central drawing room has a late C18 marble chimneypiece reused from the previous house on the site. Other rooms not seen at resurvey.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as a country house (now Hotel) designed by Fairfax Wade for the local Herbert family in a Home Counties style unusual to Wales.