19040

 

II*  

Designated  

12/11/1997  

12/11/1997  

Plas Tan-yr-Ogof including adjoining walls and arches to E and W  

 

Conwy  

Llanddulas and Rhyd-y-Foel  

Abergele  

Tan-yr-Ogof  

291634  

378074  

N  

Located on the roadside approximately 80m E of the junction with Rhyd-y-Foel Road.  

Domestic  

 

Castellated lodge, originally conceived as an estate farmhouse and one of a series of similar medievalist buildings erected on the Gwrych Castle estate. Begun for Lloyd Bamford Hesketh c1819, Gwrych Castle ranks as one of the most important castellated houses of the Picturesque in Britain. The castle and its associated lodges and park walls were designed collaboratively by the client and Thomas Rickman, the architect and architectural theorist. A castellated scheme was prepared by the architect C A Busby as early as 1814, though this was abandoned by the owner in favour of his own designs. Rickman was consulted from 1816 onwards, producing a full scheme in 1817; the foundation stone was finally laid 1819. Hesketh was still producing designs as late as the 1850s, though the main work at the castle was complete by 1822; it is likely, therefore, that the main lodges also belong to this primary phase and were included in the original overall conception. The distinctive cast iron windows, which feature particularly at Plas Tan-yr-Ogof but were employed throughout the estate, were executed to designs by Rickman and produced at John Cragg's Mersey Iron Foundry. The building, latterly used as a night club, is now residential (5/97).  

Rectangular 2-storeyed house of local limestone rubble with limestone dressings and cast-iron Gothic windows. Crenellated and corbelled battlements with flat roof. The main entrance is contained within a storeyed and battlemented porch projection set back and adjoining to the E; three concrete steps up to deeply-chamfered Tudor-arched entrance with recessed modern door. To the L, on the return of the main E wall of the building, is a fine, large Tudor-arched 6-light window, with Perpendicular tracery of cast iron. Two-light Tudor windows to both floors of the main (road-facing) facade, with cusped heads, diagonal iron glazing bars and flat, returned labels. A further, single-light window appears to the centre; this was formerly a segmentally-headed entrance. Above it, between two Tudor windows, is a projecting sandstone shield, its heraldry or inscription lost; to the L a large out-of-character modern entrance with double doors. To the rear are 6 pointed-arched entrances with 6 fine, pointed-arched tracery windows above; modern external fire escape to that to far R, modern window insertion above second from L. The battlemented parapet continues here, though uncorbelled. Further arched window to W side with deeply-recessed intersecting tracery and small-pane glazing; ruinous mono-pitch lean-to below with semi-ruinous 1m high rubble walls adjoining to N. Adjoining to the E and running parallel with the road, a short section of rubble wall stepped-up at a Tudor-arched entrance. Beyond there is a further 60m of crenellated wall, some 1.5m in height, the crenellations widely-spaced; this terminates at its junction with a further stretch of lower rubble wall with 'cock and hen' coping. Adjoining the porch to the W and running along the roadside is a 3m high stretch of corbelled and crenellated wall. In the centre the wall steps up above a wide Tudor-arched entrance; beyond it continues as before to adjoin Tan-yr-Ogof Farmhouse.  

The interior was not inspected at the time of survey (5/97).  

Listed Grade II* as an especially fine Picturesque lodge composition associated with Hesketh and Rickman's nationally important works at Gwrych Castle.