Perth-Hir House (Remains of)

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 an extensive moated mansion that belonged to the Herbert family and is thought to date to the 15th or 16th century. The mansion was located on flat, fertile, land in a bend in the River Monnow, two miles north-west of Monmouth. The only surviving remains of the mansion comprise a short stretch of walling in the north-western corner of the former building and the fallen masonry from a mullioned window with two rows of cinquefoiled lights. The north/south orientated section of walling measures 6m in length and between 2m and 3m high, while the east/west orientated section measures 4m in length and up to 3m high. Further sections of walling are visible in the edge of the moat, and the footings of the mansion are visible as earthworks. The mansion was built on a square platform, measuring roughly 37m across, surrounded by a moat that was originally crossed by two drawbridges. The remains of the moat survive on the northern and eastern sides, but there is no trace of a moat extending to the western and southern sides of the site. The moat is up to 6m wide and 2m deep and has an external bank on the eastern side.

The mansion was still standing in the early nineteenth century when it was visited by the antiquarians Archdeacon Coxe (1801) and John Barber (1803). Both describe it as retaining a long vaulted hall and passage with a wooden roof containing enormous rafters. A music gallery was located at the end of the hall, together with a gothic window containing stained glass bearing the arms of the Herbert family. Coxe details the destruction of part of the building in the late 18th century, when ‘thirteen bed chambers and other offices’ were taken down as the building was too big for the incumbent family. A chapel dedicated to St Catherine had formed part of the complex but this was taken down in 1745. The house is depicted as standing but unroofed on the 1840 tithe map but had been almost completely demolished by the time of 1st edition map in 1880. The mullioned window survived until the 1960s.

The monument is of national importance for its potential to enhance our knowledge of medieval domestic 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.

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