The Nook

Cadw's description

Location

On the corner of Conway Road and Bryn Lupus Road.

History

A former Mostyn estate house dated 1897, and shown on the 1900 Ordnance Survey. Similar in style to Woodville and Edenhurst, the 3 houses forming a distinct group.

Exterior

A Domestic-revival style house of 2 storeys, of brick in the lower storey, close-studded timber-framed with white-rendered panels in the upper storey, red tile roof with ridge cresting and moulded finials. It has an external brick stack to the L gable end and end stack on the rear wing. The R end wall also has an external stack, but with a replacement tall stone shaft. The front is asymmetrical of 3 irregular bays, of which the L-hand is set back, and the R-hand gabled with diagonal bracing. The central entrance bay forms a small tower with leaded roof rising above bracketed eaves to a tall cupola with blank pointed wooden arches and domed roof with weathervane. The entrance, under a bracketed gabled porch canopy, projects slightly forward and has angle buttresses to the sides. The door of boarded panels is under a segmental pointed head. All windows are wood-framed casements with small-pane coloured frosted glass over transoms. To the R of the doorway the entrance bay has a narrow single window in each storey. In the L-hand return of the entrance bay is a small window. In the R-hand gabled bay is a 4-light bay window under a dentil cornice, and 3-light 1st-floor window. Its lintel is inscribed with the date, painted white. In the L-hand bay are 3-light segmental-headed windows in each storey, gabled in the upper storey.

In the R end wall is a pair of narrow transomed windows in the lower storey, to the L of the stack, and diagonal bracing in the 1st floor. In the L gable end, also with diagonal bracing in the gable, the stack is flanked by floor-length small-pane windows in the lower storey. A rear wing continuous with the gable end has an inserted window in the lower storey and 3-light 1st-floor window. The wing is splayed at the rear, where the wall is roughcast, and is brick on the opposite side wall enclosing a rear yard.

Interior

The entrance vestibule and straight closed-string stair retain a panelled dado incorporating plaster relief panels of cherubs amid foliage. The entrance also retains a decorative tile floor. Doorways have reed-moulded surrounds but the doors are replacements.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special architectural interest as one of a group of 3 late Victorian suburban houses of distinctive architectural character and retaining fine original detail.