4722

 

II*  

Designated  

17/06/1966  

13/04/2005  

Gatehouse at Cors y Gedol Hall  

 

Gwynedd  

Dyffryn Ardudwy  

 

Llanddwywe  

260023  

323046  

 

In private grounds set well back from the ENE side of the A496 between Dyffryn Ardudwy and Tal-y-bont. Located at the head of a driveway (Ffordd Gors) leading ENE out of the small hamlet of Llanddwywe. The gatehouse is directly S of the hall.  

Domestic  

 

Cors y Gedol was the seat of the Vaughan family and centrepiece of a substantial estate from the early C16 at least. Successive generations of Vaughans built and embellished the hall and its appurtenances, and the gatehouse was built by William Vaughan in 1630. He was an important literary patron who numbered Ben Johnson amongst his friends; his association with court circles gave rise to a tradition that the designs for this building were provided by Inigo Jones. In fact the gatehouse lies securely within regional building traditions: medieval in inspiration, but Renaissance in style, one of five in Meirionydd. Converted for use as holiday accommodation in late C20.  

Early C17 symmetrically planned, non-defensive gatehouse. Built of mortared rubble masonry including long stones in the build; sandstone dressings. Slate roof with stone parapet copings surmounted by raised ball finials; cross gabled roof to central block with stone stacks and surmounted by a timber bellcote with pyramid slate roof surmounted by a weathercock. The central block is 3-storeyed, and on each side, the ground floor has central wide segmental archway with dressed voussiors and jambs with quarter round and hollow mouldings; at the apex is a facetted keystone with the date 1630, below the initials W A V, and on the lowest facet a wheel shape. Above the arch is a mullioned window of 3 round-headed lights and a pointed hoodmould. In the upper storey is a single handed clock face with pointed hoodmould over; at each corner of the tower's roof is a crude gargoyle in the shape of a human face. Flanking wings are 2-storey with the first floor windows in gabled dormers housing 3-light mullioned windows with straight heads. There are no ground floor windows on the S elevation, and paired 2-light mullioned windows flanking the arch to N; each gable has single windows in the apex and all windows have quarter round mouldings.  

The interior was not inspected at the time of the survey, but was recorded by Smith in the Journal of the Merioneth Historical and Record Society in mid C20. At that time the ground floor had a single room to each side of the passage, each had ceiling beams with quarter round mouldings; the moulding being continued at the stops. The joists had plain chamfers with lamb's tongue stops. The first floor had 3 rooms, one in the tower and one to either side. In each of the latter a stone fireplace was recorded, with crudely proportioned classical ornament in the shape of a shelf supported by pilasters. On the architraves motifs in the form of a cross saltire were recorded, the device of the Vaughans. The overmantel in the E room has 2 blank shields of arms with moulded pilasters on either side.  

Listed as an excellent example of an early C17 non-defensive gatehouse, in a Renaissance idiom, that forms an important component in the layout at Cors y Gedol. The gatehouse was a characteristic conceit of architecturally ambitious members of the north Wales gentry, and an important indicator of the cultural aspiration of this class.