2010

 

II*  

Designated  

06/10/1953  

10/10/2000  

Gatehouse and attached range at St Pierre Hotel  

 

Monmouthshire  

Mathern  

Chepstow  

St Pierre  

351506  

190573  

SE  

Forming the main entrance to the St Pierre Hotel.  

Domestic  

 

This building was constructed in the late C15 or early C16 by William and George Lewis of St Pierre. It was altered in the C18, also by the Lewis family. The range to the east is mostly early C19. A plan in Coxe shows only the lean-to next to the tower in 1801, but the whole of it appears on the Tithe Map of 1839. The family sold the estate in 1924 and the building became a hotel in 1962. This was a free standing building at the time of first listing but has now been incorporated into the main hotel building by the roofing over of the inner courtyard in 1978.  

The building is constructed of local limestone rubble with ashlar dressings and with a Welsh slate roof to the attached two storey range. The roofing material of the tower is not known, but is probably lead. The building consists of a three storey tower forming the entrance tower of St Pierre and a two storey range to the left, apparently contemporary with the tower. The tower itself is of 3-bays, the outer ones being octagonal stair turrets and the centre bay the entrance arch. This is a tall pointed arch leading to a brick vaulted entrance. Above this is a 3-light window with 4-centred lights within a rectangular frame and with a dripmould over, a similar 2-light window above this, small rectangular windows to the turrets. These turrets rise above the main roof, and like the main parapet are battlemented. The side walls of the tower are blind except for a small circular window facing the church. There are neither turrets nor battlements at the rear of the tower. To the left of the tower there is a 4-bay wing with 2-light C15 type windows on the ground floor as on the tower, and casements of late C20 joinery above. A 2-centred archway joins at right angles at the left hand end of the range. There is a dripmould to the parapet which returns over the arch as do the battlements. Immediately to the left of the tower is a single 2-light window into the attic storey which is otherwise unlit on the front elavation, this is in a small lean-to against the stair turret. The rear elevation was not seen except for the ground floor of the part which is now inside the hotel reception but was previously in the open courtyard. The entrance arch has glazed doubledoors and to the right of this are two 4-centred arch doorways with dripmoulds into the rear of the range; these could be original or a part of the C18 alterations.  

The interior was not seen at the time of resurvey, but it is reported as having been fully modernized by the hotel. The spiral stone staircases survive.  

Included as a well preserved medieval gatehouse to an important house and as a part of the historic ensemble of St Pierre.