Old Gwernyfed

Last updated

Old Gwernyfed
Old Gwernfed, Velindre - geograph.org.uk - 61914.jpg
View of Old Gwernyfed through its gate piers
TypeHouse
Location Gwernyfed, Powys, Wales
Coordinates 52°01′17″N3°11′34″W / 52.0214°N 3.1928°W / 52.0214; -3.1928
BuiltMedieval
Architectural style(s) Vernacular
Governing bodyPrivately owned
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameOld Gwernyfed
Designated28 February 1952
Reference no.6654
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameGatepiers to inner court in front of Old Gwernyfed with garden walls on each side
Designated28 September 1961
Reference no.17052
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameNorth tower in inner front garden, with the garden boundary wall leading to the north-east wing of the house
Designated28 September 1961
Reference no.6646
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameSouth tower in the inner front garden with garden wall running to south-west ring of the house
Designated28 September 1961
Reference no.17051
Official nameOld Gwernyfed & Gwernyfed Park
Designated1 February 2022
Reference no.PGW(Po)5(POW)
ListingGrade II*
Powys UK relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of Old Gwernyfed in Powys

Old Gwernyfed (Welsh: Hen Wernyfed) is a house dating from the medieval period in the community of Gwernyfed, Powys, Wales, close to the village of Felindre. It remains a private home and is a Grade I listed building. The gardens are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

Contents

History

The Gwernyfed estate is of ancient origin; it is reputed to have been given by Bernard de Neufmarché (c. 1050 – c. 1125), the earliest of the Norman marcher lords, to Peter Gunter. [1] It came into the ownership of the Williams family at the end of the 16th century. David Williams (d.1613), made his fortune in the law, serving as attorney general for South Wales from 1581-1595, Recorder of Brecon 1581-1604, Serjeant-at-law in 1593 and a judge of the King's Bench in 1604. His earnings funded extensive land purchases including the Gwernyfed estate which he bought from John Gunter in 1600. He also built up a substantial estate centred on Kingston Bagpuize in Oxfordshire where he died in 1613. [lower-alpha 1] [3] Subsequent generations of his family served as members of parliament and as High sheriff. In the 17th century, the original medieval manor house was rebuilt. It contains a screens passage on which Charles I is said to have left a coded message for Prince Rupert of the Rhine when the king stayed at the house after the Battle of Naseby in 1645. [lower-alpha 2] Charles was the guest of Sir Henry Williams (c.1603-c.1656), a staunch royalist on whom the king had bestowed a baronetcy the previous year. [5] A later Williams, Sir Thomas Williams, 1st Baronet, served as doctor to the king's heir, Charles II. A major fire gutted the main wing of the house in the 1680s, and this remains ruinous. In the 1730s, the Williams moved their main residence to Llangoed Hall and the old mansion descended to the level of a farmhouse. [6] The baronetcy, and the male Williams line, ended with the death of Sir Edward Williams, 5th Baronet in 1804. [lower-alpha 3] [7] The estate passed to his daughter, Mary, and on her marriage to Thomas Wood passed into their possession. In the 1870s, the family returned to the Gwernyfed estate, commissioning William Eden Nesfield to build a new house, Gwernyfed Park, about 1 km north-west of the ancient manor, as a wedding present for Captain Thomas Wood. Since the 1950s, Gwernyfed Park has been the main building of Gwernyfed High School. [8] After a period as a hotel, [6] Old Gwernyfed returned to a private residence [4] and has been undergoing restoration in the 21st century. [9] [10]

Architecture and description

Old Gwernyfed conforms to a E- plan, reputedly in honour of Elizabeth I. [4] The original building was likely a long house form, to which the additional wings were added in the 17th-century rebuilding. It is constructed of sandstone rubble under a slate roof. The central porch block, and the two wings are gabled, with the wings having large chimney stacks. The interior retains much of the original medieval hall plan, with a screens passage bisecting the house. [1]

Many of the buildings on the estate have listed building status. The house is listed at Grade I. [1] Three sets of gates framing entrances to the house are listed, two at Grade II* and one at Grade II. [11] [12] [13] A range of former agricultural buildings also has a Grade II listing. [14] Towers to the north and south of the main entrance gate are listed at Grade II*. [15] [16]

The quite separate building of Gwernyfed Park (now Gwernyfed High School) has a Grade II* listing, [8] while its stable block is listed Grade II. [17] The kitchen garden, [18] the gardener's cottage, [19] the greenhouses, [20] a set of garden gates, [21] and the lodge gates [22] and walls, all have Grade II listings. [23] The gardens are also listed, at Grade II*, on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales, [24] and the Elizabethan earthworks are a scheduled monument. [25]

Notes

  1. ↑ David Williams was buried in Brecon Cathedral, under an "elaborate effigy". [2]
  2. ↑ The house's current owners suggest that another inscription was carved on the screens passage by William Shakespeare. [4]
  3. ↑ This was the second occurrence of the failure of the male line. Sir Henry Williams, 2nd Baronet (c. 1635 – February 1666) died without a male heir. His daughter Elizabeth married Edward Williams (1659–1721).[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llansantffraed</span> Human settlement in Wales

Llansantffraed (Llansantffraed-juxta-Usk) is a parish in the community of Talybont-on-Usk in Powys, Wales, near Brecon. The benefice of Llansantffraed with Llanrhystud and Llanddeiniol falls within the Diocese of St Davids in the Church in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piercefield House</span> Neoclassical country house in Wales

Piercefield House is a largely ruined neo-classical country house near St Arvans, Monmouthshire, Wales, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of the centre of Chepstow. The central block of the house was designed in the very late 18th century, by, or to the designs of, Sir John Soane. It is flanked by two pavilions, of slightly later date, by Joseph Bonomi the Elder. The house sits within Piercefield Park, a Grade I listed historic landscape, that was created in the 18th century as a notable Picturesque estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Cocks</span> Human settlement in Wales

Three Cocks or Aberllynfi is a village near Glasbury in Powys, Wales. The Welsh name refers to the mouth of the Afon Llynfi which enters the River Wye a mile from the village. The nearest town is Hay-on-Wye some 5 miles (8.5 km) to the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llangedwyn</span>

Llangedwyn is a village in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 402. The community includes the hamlet of Pen-y-bont Llanerch Emrys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryn Bras Castle</span> Grade II* listed country house in Gwynedd, Wales

Bryn Bras Castle is a Grade II* listed country house located on the old road between Llanrug and Llanberis in Caernarfon, Gwynedd. The house, which remains privately owned, is a Grade II* listed building and its gardens and landscaped park are listed at Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mostyn Hall</span> Grade I listed building in Flintshire.

Mostyn Hall is a large house standing in 25 acres of garden near the village of Mostyn, Flintshire, Wales. It is designated by Cadw as a Grade I listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coedarhydyglyn</span> Building in Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

Coedarhydyglyn or Coedriglan, formerly Old Coedarhydyglyn, is a private Grade I listed neo-classical regency villa and estate on the western rim of Cardiff, less than half a mile from Culverhouse Cross, southeast Wales. It is accessed via the A48 road between Cardiff and St. Nicholas at the top of "The Tumble" hill leading up from Culverhouse Cross and Coedarhydyglyn Lane which leads to Drope to the north. The estate lies between the villages of St Georges-super-Ely and Downs just inside the boundary of the Vale of Glamorgan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanvihangel Court</span> Tudor country house in Llavihangel Crucorney, Monmouthshire, Wales

LlanvihangelCourt, Llanvihangel Crucorney, is a Tudor country house in Monmouthshire, Wales. The architectural historian John Newman, in his Gwent/Monmouthshire volume of The Buildings of Wales series described the court as "the most impressive and richly decorated house of around 1600 in Monmouthshire". The origins of the house are medieval, with a traditional date of construction of 1471. The building was given its present appearance by a substantial enlargement and re-casing of circa 1600 by Rhys Morgan, of the family of the original owners. In the very early 17th century it was owned briefly by Edward Somerset, 4th Earl of Worcester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II* listed buildings in Flintshire</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II* structures are those considered to be "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II* listed buildings in the Vale of Glamorgan</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II* structures are those considered to be "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.

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

Wyelands, sometimes styled The Wyelands or Wyelands House, is a Grade II* listed building and estate located about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the village of Mathern, Monmouthshire, Wales, United Kingdom and about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the edge of Chepstow. It is a neoclassical villa designed by Robert Lugar in the late Regency period, and was completed around 1830. The park surrounding the house is listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ffynone House</span>

Ffynone is a mansion and estate near Boncath, Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the parish of Manordeifi. The original Georgian design was by the architect John Nash, and the house was later remodelled by Inigo Thomas. It is a Grade I listed building, and its gardens and park are also listed, at Grade I, on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

<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">Trewyn House</span> House in Monmouthshire, Wales

Trewyn House, Llanvihangel Crucorney, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a country house dating from 1692. Its origins are older but the present building was constructed by the Delahayes at the very end of the 17th century when the house sat in Herefordshire. It has since been extended and reconstructed giving an "obscure and complicated" building history. The house is Grade II* listed. The parkland has traces of 17th-century terracing and a rare Grade II* listed dovecote. It is listed Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maes Manor</span> House in Caerphilly, Wales

Maes Manor is a country house near Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales. It dates mainly from the early 20th century and is notable for its gardens, designed by Thomas Mawson. Now a hotel, Maes Manor is a Grade II listed building and its gardens and grounds are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II listed buildings in Chirk</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II structures are those considered to be "buildings of special interest which justify every effort being made to preserve them". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II listed buildings in Gresford</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II structures are those considered to be "buildings of special interest which justify every effort being made to preserve them". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II listed buildings in Marchwiel</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II structures are those considered to be "buildings of special interest which justify every effort being made to preserve them". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grade II listed buildings in Ruabon</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term listed building refers to a building or other structure officially designated as being of special architectural, historical, or cultural significance; Grade II structures are those considered to be "buildings of special interest which justify every effort being made to preserve them". Listing was begun by a provision in the Town and Country Planning Act 1947. Once listed, strict limitations are imposed on the modifications allowed to a building's structure or fittings. In Wales, the authority for listing under the Planning Act 1990 rests with Cadw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harpton Court</span> House in Powys, Wales

Harpton Court, Old Radnor, Powys, is a Tudor Revival house dating from the late 19th century. It originally formed the north-west wing to a much larger Neoclassical mansion, which was reconstructed by John Nash in the early 19th century, but the main part of the court was demolished in 1956. The house was the ancestral home of the Lewis family, whose most prominent member, George Cornewall Lewis, served as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Home Secretary under Lord Palmerston. The court remains a private house and is a Grade II listed building. Its gardens and grounds are listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Cadw. "Old Gwernyfed (Grade I) (6654)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  2. ↑ "David Williams (d.1613), of Gwernyfed, Breconshire". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  3. ↑ "David Williams (d.1613), of Gwernyfed, Breconshire". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 "A little about Old Gwernyfed Manor and the restoration". Gwernyfed Estate. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  5. ↑ "Henry Williams (c.1603-by 1656), of Gwernyfed, Breconshire". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Old Gwernyfed (25947)". Coflein. RCAHMW . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "Williams families, of Gwernyfed, in the parish of Glasbury, Brecknock". Dictionary of Welsh Biography . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  8. 1 2 Cadw. "Gwernyfed High School (Grade II*) (7464)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "Restoration". Gwernyfed Estate. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Old Gwernyfed Manor". Ark Stained Glass. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  11. ↑ Cadw. "Garden gatepiers to a cross terrace in the formal W gardens at Old Gwernyfed (Grade II*) (6645)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  12. ↑ Cadw. "Boundary walls, gatepiers and gate to forecourt and driveway at Old Gwernyfed (Grade II) (7495)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Cadw. "Gatepiers to inner court in front of Old Gwernyfed with garden walls on each side (Grade II*) (17052)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Cadw. "Former Barn and Cowhouse Ranges Adjoining Old Gwernyfed House (Grade II) (7496)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  15. ↑ Cadw. "North Tower in inner front garden, with the garden boundary wall leading to the NE wing of the house (Grade II*) (6646)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  16. ↑ Cadw. "South tower in the inner front garden with garden wall running to SW ring of the house (Grade II*) (17051)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Cadw. "Stable Block at Gwernyfed High School (Grade II) (17047)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  18. ↑ Cadw. "Kitchen garden walls, gatepiers and gates at Gwernyfed High School (Grade III) (7520)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  19. ↑ Cadw. "Gardener's cottage at Gwernyfed High School (Gwernyfed Park) (Grade II) (17050)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  20. ↑ Cadw. "Glasshouses in kitchen garden at Gwernyfed High Schoo (Grade II) (17049)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  21. ↑ Cadw. "Front railed screen and gate piers at Gwernyfed High School (Grade II) (17048)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  22. ↑ Cadw. "Lodge Gates and screen to Gwernyfed High School (Grade II) (7465)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  23. ↑ Cadw. "Continuation walls to Gwernyfed High School Lodge (Grade II) (17046)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  24. ↑ Cadw. "Old Gwernyfed & Gwernyfed Park (PGW(Po)5(POW))". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  25. ↑ Cadw. "Garden Earthworks at Old Gwernyfed (Grade SM) (BR193)". National Historic Assets of Wales . Retrieved 19 May 2024.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.