Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan

Last updated

Faenol Fawr
Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan 04.JPG
East Front
Location Bodelwyddan, Denbighshire, Wales
Coordinates 53°16′31″N3°29′59″W / 53.275171°N 3.499719°W / 53.275171; -3.499719
OS grid reference SJ0008976396
Built16th/early 18th century
Restored1984
Restored byafter fire
Architectural style(s)Elizabethan H-shaped stone house with crow-stepped gables.
Listed Building – Grade II*
Designated24 September 1951
Reference no.Cadw Building ID: 1357
Denbighshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Denbighshire

Faenol Fawr is an Elizabethan H-plan mansion with crow-stepped gables. The house is situated immediately to the north of Glan Clwyd Hospital in the parish of Bodelwyddan in the historic county of Flintshire, but now in Denbighshire. It was formerly in the township of Faenol, which until 1860 was in the parish of St. Asaph.

Contents

Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan, c 1776 Faenol Fawr, Bodelwythen.png
Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan, c 1776

Thomas Pennant passed by Faenol Fawr in his Tour to Snowdonia in 1776, when he records: "In a very wet situation, beneath Kinmael, is Vaenol; one of the best old houses in the county of Flint. It was built in 1595, by John Lloyd…. register (Registrar) of St Asaph in the reign of Queen Elizabeth; a place extremely profitable, before the powers of the church were abridged". [1] An extra illustrated copy of the Tour in Wales in the National Library of Wales, has a water-colour of Faenol Fawr in about 1776, which shows that present building is little changed in appearance. [2] The house is listed Grade II*, as is the dovecote to the west of the house. There is another smaller and earlier house with a cyclopean doorway that is now joined to the main house. Immediately to the N W is the Old Farm House with crow stepped gables, which is listed grade II, as is also the large barn to the east. Facing the Old Farm House is a row of converted cartsheds The house was badly damaged by fire in 1980 and has now been converted into a country house hotel.

History of the house

Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. South wing interior. Lloyd Armorials of 1597 over fireplace. Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan 14.JPG
Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. South wing interior. Lloyd Armorials of 1597 over fireplace.

In August 1887 the house was visited by the Cambrian Archaeological Association.

Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. South wing with lateral chimney stack. Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan 07.JPG
Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. South wing with lateral chimney stack.

They reported that:

The picturesque manor-house of Vaenol, with its stepped gables, is an interesting specimen of an Elizabethan mansion, having been built by John Lloyd, Registrar of the diocese of St Asaph, in 1597, as shown by a shield of arms with the initialsI.LL. M.LL. 1597. His daughter and heiress, married William Price of Rhiwlas (near Bala), in whose family it continued until a few years ago, when it was sold to the Baronet of Bodelwyddan. Over the entrance door was carved the legend VIVE UT Vivas 1725, and other internal arrangements were indicated by the dates 1690 and 1770. The paneling and ceiling of the drawing room, with its shields and arms is handsome. The great hall has been subdivided and the stairs cut off in one direction, and the great fireplace in another. [3]

A detailed photographic record of the house was made in 1954 by George Bernard Mason, as part of the National Buildings Record survey. This shows the house and farm buildings in a dilapidated state and provides a record of the house before the fire of 1980. [4]

Architectural description

Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. Older house with Cyclopean blocked doorway Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan 01.JPG
Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. Older house with Cyclopean blocked doorway

Faenol Fawr is an Elizabethan ‘H’ plan mansion with crow stepped gables. The house is situated immediately to the north of Glan Clwyd Hospital in the parish of Bodelwyddan in Denbighshire. It was formerly in the township of Faenol, which until 1860 was in the parish of St.Asaph. The house is listed Grade II* as is the dovecote to the west of the hose. There is another smaller and earlier house with a ‘‘cyclopean’’ doorway that is now joined to the main house. Immediately to the north west is the Old Farm House with crow stepped gables, which is listed grade II, as is the large barn to the east. Facing the Old Farm House is a row of cartsheds. The house was badly damaged by fire in 1980 and has now been converted into a country house hotel.

The older house

Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. Decorative beam mouldings in older house to north and now linked to main building Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan 16.JPG
Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. Decorative beam mouldings in older house to north and now linked to main building

This is likely to be earlier 16th century in date. [5] It appears to have been a two storied, hall house, with cruck framing and stone walls. The evidence for the cruck roof is from a photography the Rev N W Watson, [6] and this roof may still be in place. Cyclopean doorways have been studied by Peter Smith, [7] who shows that they are distributed mainly in Denbighshire and Merionethshire. These massive arched stone door lintels were introduced at a time, probably around 1600, when stone walling was replacing timber framing and may encase an earlier timber structure. A much altered post and panel screens passage with three entrances, [8] now in the hall area of the main house, is likely to have been removed from the hall in the older house. This screens passage would have been associated with the finely moulded beams in the older house. These moulded beams can be compared with similar beams at Maesycastell in Caernarvonshire and Perthywig in Denbighshire which are illustrated by Smith [9]

Faenol Fawr: the main house

Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. Doorway dated 1725 and mullioned windows with 18th-century sash windows above. Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan 05.JPG
Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. Doorway dated 1725 and mullioned windows with 18th-century sash windows above.

This house with crow stepped gables is almost certainly the house built in 1597 for John, Lloyd, the registrar of the diocese of St. Asaph, and then, on the basis of the date over the front door extensively altered in 1725 or slightly earlier. The house is H-shaped with a further extension to the rear or west side. The wings on either side of the centrally placed are three storied with stepped dormer windows. Most of the stone mullioned windows have been replaced, but some of the original windows survive mainly at ground floor level and there are also some 18th-century sash windows. [10]

The dovecote

Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. Dovecote on W side. Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan 09.JPG
Faenol Fawr, Bodelwyddan. Dovecote on W side.

This a particularly fine example of a square built stone dovecote with crow stepped gables. It stands immediately to the west of the main house and is likely to be contemporary with it. [11] [12]

The farmhouse, barn and cartsheds

The farm complex lies immediately to the NW of the main house. The farmhouse is similar in date to the main house and has crow stepped gables. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denbighshire</span> County in Wales

Denbighshire is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthin is the administrative centre. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clwyd</span> Preserved county of Wales

Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to the east and Shropshire to the south-east. Powys and Gwynedd lie to the south and west respectively. Clwyd also shares a maritime boundary with Merseyside along the River Dee. Between 1974 and 1996, a slightly different area had a county council, with local government functions shared with six district councils. In 1996, Clwyd was abolished, and the new principal areas of Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough were created; under this reorganisation, "Clwyd" became a preserved county, with the name being retained for certain ceremonial functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denbigh</span> Town in Denbighshire, Wales

Denbigh is a market town and a community in Denbighshire, Wales. Formerly the county town of the historic county of Denbighshire until 1888, Denbigh's Welsh name translates to "Little Fortress"; a reference to its historic castle. Denbigh lies near the Clwydian Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bodelwyddan</span> Village in Denbighshire, Wales

Bodelwyddan is a village, electoral ward and community in Denbighshire, Wales, approximately 5 miles (8 km) South of Rhyl. The Parish includes several smaller hamlets such as Marli and Pengwern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diocese of St Asaph</span> Anglican diocese of the Church in Wales

The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese of the Church in Wales in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Clough</span> Welsh businessman

Sir Richard Clough, known by his Welsh contemporaries as Rhisiart Clwch, was a merchant from Denbigh, north-east Wales, and an agent of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marble Church, Bodelwyddan</span> Church in Denbighshire, Wales

St Margaret's Church, Bodelwyddan, nicknamed the Marble Church, is a Decorated Gothic Style parish church in the lower Vale of Clwyd in Denbighshire, Wales and is visible for many miles because its spire rises to 202 feet. It lies just off the A55 trunk road.

Kinmel Park Training Area is an army training ground in what was once the grounds of Kinmel Hall, near Abergele, in Conwy county borough, Wales. The camp was built in 1915 to train troops during the First World War and was later used to house troops at the end of the conflict. A riot broke out in the camp among Canadian forces in 1919, leading to the deaths of several soldiers.

The Hughes-Hunter Baronetcy, of Plas Coch in the Parish of Llanedwen in the County of Anglesey, was a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom.

The office of High Sheriff of Clwyd was established in 1974 as part of the creation of the county of Clwyd in Wales following the Local Government Act 1972, and effectively replaced the shrievalties of the amalgamated counties of Flintshire and Denbighshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waen</span> Community in Denbighshire, Wales

Waen is a sparsely populated community in the Vale of Clwyd, in the Welsh county of Denbighshire. It includes the hamlet of Waen Goleugoed. The former civil parish was created in 1896 from the Flintshire portion of St Asaph, and lies on the eastern bank of the River Clwyd, 2.7 miles (4.3 km) east of St Asaph, 15.4 miles (24.8 km) north west of Mold, 5.1 miles (8.2 km) north of Denbigh and 11.9 miles (19.2 km) north of Ruthin. At the 2001 census the community had a population of 245, falling slightly to 241 at the 2011 census. The North Wales Expressway (A55) crosses the community from east to west, on its route from Chester to Bangor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Wales</span>

Architecture of Wales is an overview of architecture in Wales from the medieval period to the present day, excluding castles and fortifications, ecclesiastical architecture and industrial architecture. It covers the history of domestic, commercial, and administrative architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llannerch Hall</span> Grade II* listed building in Denbighshire.

Llanerch Hall, Trefnant, Clwyd, Wales, is a country house with medieval origins. It was rebuilt twice at the beginning and at the end of the 17th century, was again rebuilt in the 19th century, and further modified in the 20th. The hall is now divided into flats, each with its own Grade II* listing. The parkland, now a golf course, conceals traces of a late 17th century Italianate terraced garden that rivalled those at Powis Castle. The gardens were entirely destroyed in the 19th century rebuilding. The house remains privately owned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedd-y-Cawr Hillfort</span> Iron age hillfort in North Wales

Bedd-y-Cawr Hillfort, or Bedd y Cawr Hillfort, is an Iron Age hillfort on a natural inland promontory in the community of Cefnmeiriadog in Denbighshire in North Wales. The name of the hillfort translates from the Welsh as Giant's Tomb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hygga House Dovecote, Trellech</span> Dovecote in Monmouthshire, Wales

The Dovecote, Hygga, Trellech, Monmouthshire is a late 16th-century dovecote, in an unusually complete state of preservation. Part of the service buildings for the, now demolished, Hygga House, the dovecote is a Grade II* listed building and a scheduled monument.

Lloyd Williams and Underwood was a firm of architects based in Denbigh and active mostly in North Wales in the second half of the 19th century. The partners were Richard Lloyd Williams, formerly a pupil of Thomas Fulljames, and Martin Underwood, who was also county surveyor for Denbighshire. Several of their designed now have listed status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Collen's Church, Llangollen</span> Church in Denbighshire, Wales

St Collen's Church is a parish church in the town of Llangollen, Denbighshire, Wales. The first church on the site was founded by Collen in the 6th century. Nothing of this building remains. A new church was built in the 13th century, in the Early English Gothic style. This was developed in the succeeding centuries, and then almost completely rebuilt in the 19th century. The architect of the Victorian reconstruction was Samuel Pountney Smith, who retained little of the earlier church, with the exception of the tower. The churchyard contains the grave of the Ladies of Llangollen, Eleanor Charlotte Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, and their servant Mary Carryl, who lived at the nearby Plas Newydd. In November 2021 the first blessing of a gay partnership in a Church in Wales church was held at St Collen's. The church is an active parish church in the Diocese of St Asaph. It is designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Buildings, Wrexham</span> Building in Wrexham, Wales

County Buildings is a Grade II listed building in Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It houses the Wrexham County Borough Museum and Wrexham Archives. It is proposed that a Football Museum for Wales be housed in the building. The building is located between Saint Mark's Road and Regent Street in the city centre and Offa, bounded by Wrexham Cathedral to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertholey House</span> House in Llantrisant, Monmouthshire

Bertholey House, is a country house near the village of Llantrisant, in Monmouthshire, Wales. A Tudor house originally stood on the site, the home of the Kemeys family. In the 1830s, a new mansion was built, in a Neoclassical style, for Colthurst Bateman. This house was almost completely destroyed in a fire in 1905. From 1999, the mansion was restored and is again a private home. The gardens and grounds are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

References

  1. Thomas Pennant, (1783) A Tour in Wales, Vol. ii, 355
  2. Ingleby watercolour www.llgc.org.uk/digitalmirror/jts/JTS00004/358/tudalen.html?lng=en
  3. Archaeologia Cambrensis , 1887 pp.357–8 & illus.
  4. "RCAHMW Coflein details". Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  5. This house is called the second house in the RCAHMW records, but is omitted from the listing details RCHMW Field Notes "Catalogue Search | Coflein". Archived from the original on 15 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  6. Bezant Lowe, W. ‘’The Heart of North Wales’’, Vol 2, Llanfairfechan, 1927. 252-4, fig. 194.
  7. P Smith, Houses of the Welsh Countryside, HMSO, (1988), Map 35 pp 485–6
  8. "Smith" Map 37, 491
  9. "Smith" fig 181
  10. "Hubbard", 326-7
  11. Listing details
  12. E Wiliam, Traditional Farm Buildings in North Wales, UWP, (1982) pp. 250, 252.
  13. E Wiliam, Traditional Farm Buildings in North Wales, UWP, (1982) pp. 250, 252.

Literature