Fforest

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 0.8km N of Brechfa church and reached by private drive on the N side of a minor road between Brechfa and New Inn.

History

A large C17 house extended in 1724 by the addition of a new range to create a double-pile house. The extension is recorded in a tablet over the entrance. It was built by Richard Gwynne of Taliaris and Tregib for the life tenant Lady Rudd. Modern alterations include the remaking of the main facade and the simplifying of the interior.

Exterior

A tall 2½ storey double-pile house of rubble stone with steep slate roofs. The front range has gable stacks, the wider rear range a gable stack to the L and end stone stack to the R. The front retains its original entrance under a stone segmental head, with replaced boarded door and C18 overlight. Above the doorway is a stone tablet with a raised lozenge bearing the quartered arms of the Rudd and Lloyd families, the date 1724, and a legend in raised letters reading 'This house was built by the Hon'd The Lady Rudd and by ye directions of Richard Gwynne Esq'. The entrance is flanked by recently inserted small-pane horned sashes to make a 5-window front (replacing original segmental-headed sashes forming a 3-bay front).

The L gable end of the front range has a pivoting attic window to the R of the stack. The R gable end has a similar corresponding window, while the rear range has a small C17 attic window in a dressed stone surround R of centre. An inserted panelled door with brick dressings is lower R, where the shadow of a former lean-to (shown on the 1889 Ordnance Survey) is discernible.

The rear has mainly wood mullioned windows. A tall 2-light stair window to the centre has 3 transoms, below which is a pivoting window under a brick segmental head. To its R is a boarded door to what became the kitchen in the C18, under a stone segmental head, then a 4-pane horned sash further R under a cruder stone segmental head. A wooden cross window is upper R. To the L of centre are French doors under a high overlight and brick segmental head, L of which is an inserted window incorporating a top-hung casement, under a slate lintel. A wide wooden cross window is L of centre in the upper storey.

Interior

Internal partitions have been removed, leaving single rooms in each range. In the rear range is a full-height dog-leg stair, retaining original square newels, hand rail and some treads, but otherwise renewed. On the L side of the rear range is a segmental-headed kitchen fireplace with voussoirs. In the room above it is a blocked C17 2-light stone-mullioned window with arched heads and sunk spandrels, in the dividing wall. In the rear wall is a wooden Tudor-headed doorway, possibly to an original garderobe. Both ranges have lapped collar-beam roofs.

Reason for designation

Listed, notwithstanding out-of-character alterations, as an important early C18 double-pile house with architecturally significant earlier origins, and retaining some good C17 and C18 detail.