24322

 

II*  

Designated  

27/10/2000  

27/10/2000  

High House  

 

Monmouthshire  

Whitecastle  

Raglan  

Penrhos  

340840  

212067  

 

Approximately 3km SE of Llantilio Crossenny, at the end of a short drive which runs N off the minor road, some 500m SE of Croes-y-gareg.  

 

 

Important Renaissance house of 1675. The idiosyncratic design with its exceptionally high roof-ridge is unique in Monmouthshire. The tradition that the building was intended to be much larger but never completed has no apparent documentary basis. The remarkable dated porch of 1675 has enriched dentil decoration similar to the fireplace, window and door-surrounds at Great Marlborough, Grosmont, and may be work of the same craftsman. On the 1847 Tithe Map, High House is marked as belonging to Sir Arthur Fludyer and the estate was then some 150 acres.  

Substantial Renaissance farmhouse. Painted render, slate roof. Exceptionally high, steeply pitched slate roof. In centre of each slope are massive rendered stacks which have square bases and four, tall, diagonally set flues. Great symmetrical gable front faces S. The upper gable is blind, flanked on each side by the great chimneystacks. The wall of the lower gable breaks forward to form the two-and-a-half-storey entrance front. The monopitch lean-to roof has three C20 rooflights and is hipped, the slope of the hips is carried back on each side to merge with the roof of the main house. First floor has three 2-light mullion windows with 2+2 pane casements. Ground floor (centre) has an impressive single storey gabled porch flanked by 3-light sunk chamfer mullion windows on each side: window to left with 2+2+2 panes, and to right with 6+6+6 panes. The timber framed pediment carries an unglazed wooden oculus and an ornamental pendant at the apex, dated 1675. The bargeboards and door-head are elaborately carved with enriched dentil decoration. Door jambs have reserved panels which carry enriched decoration, featuring a disc with arabesques in relief. The inner entrance doorway has an elaborately decorated surround (Illustrated in Peter Smith, see references) with complex ovolo and ogee moulded jambs and runout stops with arcaded flats. Ornate door has two square panels, each framed by a deep double moulding, which enclose fielded inner panels decorated with circular pattern of radiating segments. The top, middle and bottom rails have lozenge shaped panels with similar decoration. W elevation: first floor has two 6+6 pane casement windows with stone sills; ground floor a similar 6+6 casement (left) and C20 glazed metal double-doors (right). N gable upper windows have lead aprons. Upper gable has a 6-pane window; lower gable three 6+6 pane casements; first floor a similar casement (left) and a big square centre window with four fixed panes; and ground floor a C20 bay window to lean-to (far left), a 3+3+3 window (left) and C20 glazed double-doors (right).  

The interior not seen at the time of resurvey. Fox and Raglan record the exceptionally unusual double-pile layout, with centre staircase flanked by fireplaces separating front and back ground-floor rooms on each side. Exceptionally fine dated dog-leg stair of 1675 has chamfered newel post with scroll stops, splat balusters and carved ornamental band on outer face of string.  

Highly graded as an exceptionally important and well-preserved Renaissance house of 1675 with highly unusual plan and very fine porch.