Treforgan

Cadw's description

Location

Situated above road, approached by drive opposite lane from Llangoedmor Church.

History

Treforgan is called a 'farm' in 1815 Beauties of England and Wales, but the 'seat of the late Evan Davies' in 1833. Passed to Lewis-Lloyd family of Nantgwyllt, Radnors, by marriage; rented to Maria Webly-Parry to 1858.

Exterior

Early C19 country house in the classical Regency style of John Nash; built for Evan Davies (d 1832). Whitewashed rubble stone with square hipped slate deep-eaved roof and centre 1930s large corniced brick stack. Two-storey three-window facades to S and W, three-window service range to E and outbuildings attached to NE. Main fronts have raised plinth, band and brackets to eaves. S front has circular rooflight, 12-pane sashes with cambered heads and stone voussoirs, and recessed centre with window over Roman Doric pair of timber columns with half-column responds and mutule cornice, tilted to shed rain. Recessed entry with fanlight over double panelled doors with side lights. Reeded mouldings. Service range: set back to right, has big brick stacks each end, French windows above with iron flower balconies, 12-pane sashes below, centre blank.
W front: centre 12-pane sash each floor, dummy to ground floor, and full-height bows each side with tripartite 1-12-4-pane sashes, flat-headed with slim dividing columns and half-column responds. Side-lights on upper floor are dummy. Rear (N side) has NW angle pier but is otherwise plain 4-window range of 12-pane sashes and blank windows. Rear of service range is outshut with three-window range of 12-pane sashes.
NE low outbuildings, L-plan with E end stack. E front has two doors, barn-entry and, in angle, tall door with overlight, into stables. Return has window and door into tackroom.

Interior

Plan-form like Nash's 1792-4 plans for Ffynnone, Llanaeron and Llysnewydd, but less coherent. Plaster-vaulted rectangular entry hall with glazed arch into square inner hall. The inner hall has recessed arch each side, then similar plaster-vaulted space to N, giving to N and NW rooms. Inner hall has quasi-dome, panelled spandrels curving into flat circular ceiling with fine plaster rosette. To E is apsidal stair hall with fine cantilever Bath stone staircase, plain iron balusters and ramped rail. Plaster mouldings under landing and to first floor, with lozenge borders, and rose. 6-panel doors in Regency reeded surrounds, and panelled shutters. SW dining-room has big elliptical arched N alcove and acanthus cornice. NW drawing room has carved marble fireplace with floral vases, and undercut cornice of entwining leaves with guilloche border. Former library to N is plain, L-shaped with Regency fireplace. SE small study with similar fireplace.
Square hall repeats on the first floor but has flat ceiling pierced by a big circular hole into an odd conical vent through the roof-space to the circular skylight. A rectangular space to the W with guilloche ceiling border eases access to the rooms, for only NW first floor room is of regular shape. Moulded cornices and ceiling borders.
Rear service wing has spine corridor and narrow stairs off on N.

Reason for designation

One of a small group of remarkable Nash-inspired country houses in Dyfed which have survived in largely unaltered form.