2103

 

II*  

Designated  

19/11/1953  

28/02/2001  

Pant-glas Farmhouse  

 

Monmouthshire  

Trellech United  

Monmouth  

Llanishen  

348137  

204110  

W  

About 1200m to the north east of the Church of St Dennis at Llanishen approached down a lane off the west side of the Chepstow Road (B4293).  

Domestic  

 

This is a very remarkable house with several possible interpretations. The oldest part would seem to be the vaulted cellar and the pointed chamfered arch doorway that leads to it, and this seems to be built in plinth walling of squared sandstone with each course a different width, which is different from the even coursing of the rest of the main fronts. This cellar could be late C15/early C16, or it could be an aberation and contemporary with the rest of the building. The fact that it affects the floor levels might suggest that it is older than the main build which is perhaps all c1600, or within the 1590-1620 range. The show fronts are all neatly squared sandstone blocks with the courses running from one range into the other. The rear range has Jacobean windows, the front range Georgian ones, but with a Tudor one, apparently still in-situ retained in the rear elevation. This work seems to have been done by the Proberts. The main branch of the family lived here until Sir George Probert moved to The Argoed in the early C17, but others continued to live at Pant-glas until the death of Trevor Probert in 1680. The next major change seems to go with the date of 1732, which is inscribed over the entrance door. This doorway appears c1600, but to have been adapted to give a classical Georgian appearance. It seems to be in-situ, as is shown by the uneven distribution of windows on this front, which would not have been the case if it were a mid C18 facade. The sash windows were thus probably inserted in 1732 in lengthened openings, but the sashes themselves are of the c1800 type with narrow glazing bars. There was further re-fenestration in the C19 and C20, and the dormers and concrete tiles date from c1975. The original build seems to be an early example of a semi-symmetrical house with gable wall fireplaces and with the cross-passage leading to the staircase and service rooms in the rear wing.  

The house is built of carefully squared and coursed near ashlar sandstone, with concrete tile roofs on the front range and Welsh slate on the rear. It is an L-plan cross-passage house with a rear service wing. The main entrance elevation has a Georgian appearance, which gives a quite false impression as the building is considerably older. It has a main three bay, two storey and attic range with an off-centre entrance. The entrance is flanked by attached Doric columns, and has a 4-centred archway up three steps. The doorway carries the date 1732 inscribed above the arch. The doorway is c1600 but the pediment is probably 1732 and was put on to protect the carved stonework, but it could be much more recent than that. All the windows are 6 over 6 pane sashes, but the original window type is presumably as represented on the rear wing or the rear wall of the main range. Steeply pitched roof with three gabled dormers, all 6 + 6 pane casements, these date from c1975. Stone end stacks with weathered caps. The right hand gable is featureless. The left hand gable end has a 2 over 4 pane casment on the ground floor and a garret casement in the gable. The base of the gable wall is thicker and the stone coursing is different. It contains a pointed arch doorway with chamfered stone surround leading to the cellar. The gable wall above this is of one build with the rear wing which also has three windows arranged unevenly. The four windows to the left have sunk moulded stone surrounds with C19 timber casements, the lower ones are of 2-lights with a stone mullion. Between these windows and the right hand ones is a segmentally arched doorway with glazed door at the head of a flight of stairs. The other windows are cross-framed C19 casements. Stone stack to left hand gable end. The rear of the entrance range has an added lean-to covering the ground floor, above this is an original 2-light window with 4-centred heads. This wall is in random rubble, as is the rear wall of the kitchen wing which has a lean-to porch for the kitchen door and a 3-light casement in a blocked doorway which seems originally to have opened onto a second cross-passage. Above are three small casements.  

The interior was only partly seen at resurvey. The main door enters a cross-passage, but the rear door to this is now enclosed in a cupboard. The original staircase, and any possible C18 replacement, have gone and the present one is a C20 rearrangement. There is a c1600 stone fireplace with reeded surround in one room, but the other rooms and the upstairs were not seen. The cellar has an elliptical stone vault.  

Included as an exceptional C16 and C17 house with C18 alterations which has retained a varied character and has group value with the adjacent fine barn and granary.