5439

 

II*  

Designated  

05/02/1952  

23/12/1998  

Henblas  

 

Isle of Anglesey  

Llangristiolus  

Bodorgan  

Henblas  

242272  

372538  

SE  

In private grounds, set back, along a driveway, from the SE side of the B4422. The house lies c2.5kms SW of the church of St Cristiolus.  

Domestic  

 

C17 minor gentry house with later additions; the present house comprises 3 building phases. The earliest house was a 2-unit, central chimney type (now the W wing); to this was added a S cross-wing with rear stair turret (early C18), which became the principal range, the older house then becoming the service wing. The third building was the former stable block to the N of the service wing, which was incorporated into the house plan by construction of the linking block in the mid-late C19. The oldest part of the present house appears to date from 1625-6, the datestones and doorway in the S wing reset from the blocked doorway in the service wing. Built at the time of William Lloyd, who may have lived at Henblas, though the estate was not owned by him but was passed down to his daughter, Ann, from his elder brother, Owen; Ann married Dr. Robert Morgan, Bishop of Bangor (April 1654), and the S wing of the house was probably built for their son, William. William's son, Henry (d.1780), married Elizabeth Davies of Kingsland, Hereford, and during her life at Henblas she made extensive accounts (1732-1773) and records of alterations to the house (c.1736); sash windows were inserted, a bell system installed, and the house was decorated throughout (including hanging the first wallpaper on Anglesey); the tithe barn at Henblas was also built for Henry and Elizabeth. It was the marriage of William Morgan's daughter, Margaret, which brought new prosperity to the Henblas estate. She married Williams Evans of Llethrddu, Llanaelhaiarn (September 1725), who bought Bodowyr, and the old Trefeiler inheritance; the estate was further expanded by the Brereton properties of Llanwnda (dower of Elizabeth wife of Charles, the son of William Evans), and in 1842 the Plas Gwyn lands, Llanedwen, were bequeathed to their son Charles Henry Evans, by Reverend Henry Rowlands. When he died he left a trust for the succession of heirs, and a legacy for his mother, by 1865 there was a serious deficiency in estate assets to meet the payments and a large part of the estate had to be sold.  

House of 2 storeys with attics and cellars; comprising a main S block with two rear wings; a stair block to the E, and a larger wing to W, which formed the original house and became the service wing when the S wing was built. A former stable range to the N (lying parallel to the S block) has been attached to the W wing; overall the plan forms an approximate 'U' shape. Walls of limestone and grit rubble (those to the S wing laid roughly to courses), with some gritstone dressings. Roofs of thin slates. The S front is a 2-storey, 8-window range with the door offset to the right (windows arranged 5-2). Slate copings, tall gable-end chimneys of grit ashlar with chamfered cappings; similarly detailed ridge chimney offset to left (W), marking extent of entrance hall. Reset square-headed dressed sandstone doorway with chamfered sandstone jambs with broach-stops. Over the door is a reset sandstone panel bearing: [Or] a lion rampant reguardant [sable] (Gwaethfoed for Morgan) and the inscription TANGNEFEDD IR TY HWN (over) H M 1626. There is a second reset gritstone panel above, and to the left of, the door reading: 16 (cross) 25 . The door is early C20, boarded and studded with two narrow lights and prominent hinges. Windows are replacement 4-pane sashes with flat voussoir heads in gritstone ashlar, with reduced heads to the 1st floor. The stair block, to the E end of the rear (N) wall, has a basement with half-story over, and attic. Rubble walls (of poorer materials than the main S block) and slate roof with flat-roofed dormer window. Ashlar gritstone chimney with chamfered capping. E elevation: 3 windows to half-landing, with roughly-dressed voussoir heads, 3 internally splayed slit windows to basement. W elevation: steps lead down from N, to broad boarded door in centre of range (to basement) with dressed voussoir head; slit to R (N). Formerly with 3 windows to 1st floor, with only that to the right remaining unblocked; a round-headed window with Gothic glazing bars. Flat-roofed dormer window to right (S) with 12-pane sash windows. The W, service, wing (the original C17 house) is a 2-storey, 6-window range, principal elevation facing W, with tall grit ashlar ridge stack with chamfered capping to the right (S) of the 2nd window from the left (N) end. The W elevation ground floor has 2 x 12-pane sash windows, with slate sills, to the left (N) end, a blocked doorway (with flat voussoir ashlar head) to their right and a modern glazed doorway with flanking panes to the right end; there is a single-storey lean-to built against the far right end of the wall which extends around the NW corner of the S wing. The 1st floor has 5 x 12-pane sash windows with slate sills to the left, 3rd window from left with brick jambs, and a 6-pane sash inserted at the far right end, above the lean-to. The rear (E) elevation has a full height, slightly advanced, gabled block at the left (S) end which is linked to the E rear wing by a lean-to; there is a 12-pane sash in the 1st floor N wall. The ground floor of the service wing has 2 x 12-pane sash windows to the right (N) end, the 1st floor has a single 12-pane sash to the left; there is a hipped roofed dormer with a 4-pane casement window to the right end. At the N end of the W, service, wing is a gabled roofed linking block, each elevation has modern half-glazed doors with side windows. The former stable range which now forms the N wing, parallel to the S wing, is built of local rubble; slate roof with tiled ridge and copings, grit ashlar ridge stack with chamfered capping slightly offset to E end, and brick stack with shaped capping to NW corner. The principal elevation faces N, the 1st floor has 3 gabled dormers breaking the eavesline, the central dormer over a doorway reached by external stone stairs, the flanking dormers with 12-pane sash windows. The ground floor 2x small-paned casements to the left (E) end, a smaller casement window to right of the stairs and an ornate cast-iron ventilation grille to the right end. The right (E) gable return has a 12-pane sash window with segmental stone head and slate sill to each storey, the left (W) gable return has a 1st floor window of paired, 4-pane lights. The rear elevation has a modern doorway to the right (W) end, a 12-pane sash above with 9-pane sash to the left.  

The principal wing (S) has a front entrance which leads into what was the hall (the drawing room formerly partitioned off to the right (E) end), now a sitting room. The former drawing room has wall-panelling of c.1700 and a late C18 ornate marble fire surround. The former hall has a stone flagged floor, panelled shutters to the windows, a moulded dado rail and an inserted fireplace at the W end with rough stone segmental bressumer. The ceiling has 2 rough chamfered beams and a narrow, reset (possibly imported) crossbeam of 2 timbers, broken short and bearing the mutilated inscription DOMVS . FACTA FVIT IN / ANO DOMINI / 1581. To the rear of the principal (S) wing is an axial corridor: Entry to the staircase wing, to the rear of the hall, is through an C18, wooden, elliptical archway with a moulded architrave and cornice supported on fluted pillasters. The dog-leg staircase has turned balusters, moulded handrail and square newels with moulded caps; original beams in the room at the landing level and across the opening at the head of the stairs, roof with pegged trusses. The stairs lead up to the axial landing to the rear of the principal wing; first floor rooms with panelled reveals and 6-panel doors, roof with sawn and chamfered king-post trusses. To the right of the stairs, along the rear corridor, is a panelled door leading to stairs down to the 'stable', to the left a doorway leading to the brick vaulted wine cellar, and further to the left a doorway leading to the passageway running along the N wall of the W wing (the older part of the house and former kitchen). The room contains a massive inglenook with chamfered, segmental, voussoir arch; the range below has former brick bread ovens flanking a small central grate. In the SW corner is a repaired C18 dog-leg staircase with a moulded handrail and shaped splat balusters. The roof has hewn A-frame trusses with shaped collars, and the pantry has exposed beams, the central beam with slots for the former partition.  

Listed as an excellent example of an early gentry house, built to a generous scale but remaining within a vernacular idiom; the multi-period development of the house reflects the growth in fortunes of the estate of which it formed the centre. The original house was of a type which was rare on Anglesey; the later, principal range a rare survival of its type on the island.