22624

 

II*  

Designated  

04/11/1999  

04/11/1999  

Bryn Hall  

 

Gwynedd  

Mawddwy  

Machynlleth  

Llanymawddwy  

290738  

319371  

 

The house stands in its own grounds below the main road through the Dyfi valley, approximately 520m N of Llanymawddwy.  

Domestic  

 

A gentry house of C17 origins, probably consisting of an uphill sited building at right angles to the present frontage, with a central stair hall and living kitchen in the rear. The house was substantially altered and refronted in 1816 in a late Georgian style by Charles Lloyd Tamburlain, a local landowner, and extended c1910 by Sir John Bradford when it was connected to the outbuilding shown on the tithe map. It is registered at the time as having over 85 acres (34.4ha). It is well known as the early home of Alfred George Edwards, 1848 - 1937, the first Archbishop of Wales, later leased to (Sir) Edmund Buckley, the wealthy speculator and 'father' of Dinas Mawddwy. The estate was later bought by the eminent London surgeon, Sir William Roberts MD FRS (1876-1899) and yet later the estate passed to Sir John Bradford who carried out various works in an Edwardian style.  

The house is built of roughly coursed local rubble, with a slate roof. Three storeys and cellar, the main early C19 front is of 3 bays with a central 6 fielded panelled door and 7-pane overlight, and to either side, full height glazed French windows, opening inwards, probably of early C20 date. On the first floor 12-pane sash windows, and the second floor with 9-pane single-hung sashes directly below the boxed eaves. To the rear, a gabled wing. On the right of the front (E) elevation and set back, a service wing in line added or completely reworked in the early C20 by Sir John Bradford in an Edwardian style. This returns on the N as a kitchen wing enclosing a small open service yard serving the kitchen. Three 12-pane sash windows, probably early C19 at the rear of the yard, with a square oriel bay window above carried on cut timber corbel brackets, and above a shallow gable which extends to the rear. Extruded glazed corner to the return wing.  

The front entrance leads across the end of a living hall to a cross passage containing the stair. To the right, a smaller parlour. The stair is a remarkably fine dog-leg stair, without newels, of c1700, with turned balusters on wreathed urns, elaborate tread brackets, and a wreathed handrail, scrolled at the foot. The stair, which is of oak and perhaps mahogany, rises through all three floors. At the foot it has a entrance feature of shallow keyed arches scrolled at the ends.  

Included at Grade II* as a fine example of a late Georgian style gentry house of c1800, and one containing earlier work including a late C17-early C18 staircase of exceptional quality in its original stair well.