Porth Mawr

Cadw's description

Summary description and reason for designation

The following provides a general description of the Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The monument consists of the remains of a 15th century gatehouse with a single carriageway and room above. The gateway is positioned within a stone embattled wall and is turreted in a Tudor style. It has Tudor arches and an upper chamber lit by two hooded windows, an octagonal chimney and a battlement parapet. A spiral staircase leads to the first floor and the roof on the NE corner of the gatehouse, is lit by a small rectangular window and exits to the roof from a stair turret. In the interior the ribbed vault with bosses is of early 19th century date. The arch facing the road has weather mouldings, hood and stops, while the house-facing arch is chamfered. The gateway was built by the Herbert family during the reign of Henry VIII as the entrance to their mansion, Cwrt Carw. The Tudor mansion was demolished in the early 19th century and replaced by a Regency style manor house.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of entrance architecture. It retains significant archaeological potential, with a strong probability of the presence of associated archaeological features and deposits. The structure itself may be expected to contain archaeological information concerning chronology and building techniques. A gatehouse may be part of a larger cluster of monuments and their importance can further enhanced by their group value.

The scheduled area comprises the remains described and areas around them within which related evidence may be expected to survive.