732

 

II*  

Designated  

19/07/1966  

25/01/1999  

Gatepiers and associated Forecourt Walls at Plas-yn-Llan  

 

Denbighshire  

Efenechtyd  

 

Efenechtyd  

311118  

355680  

 

Enclosing a forecourt in front of Plas-yn-Llan and facing the main village street to the W.  

Domestic  

 

Early C18 gatepiers and forecourt walls, probably built by Jacob Conway (1653-1718), to serve the new Plas-yn-Llan. Conway was a junior member of the Bodrhyddan family and their crest of a blackamoor's bust appears on each of the gatepiers. The new house was probably inspired by the rebuilding work at Bodrhyddan itself, carried out by Sir John Conway, Bart. in the 1690s (dated 1696 and 1700). It is significant that similar gatepiers with surmounting blackamoor busts also appear at Bodrhyddan, and belong to the same phase.  

Tall, square gatepiers with adjoining rubble forecourt walls. The piers are approximately 2.5m high (including bust finials) and are of tooled sandstone. They have fielded panels to each face with moulded bases and coved cornices. Each is surmounted by a fine contemporary sandstone bust depicting a blackamoor's head, the crest of the Conway family; both have (renewed) polychromy. Modern decorative iron half-gates; the attachments for the former (wooden) gates remain. The flanking sections of wall are near-contemporary, though since they are built up against the panelled faces of the piers, one must presume that the piers were originally conceived as free-standing or in conjunction with fencing/hedging. The walls are of rubble, rise to a maximum height of 1.2m and extend to either side of the piers in 5m sections. The L section (S) retains shallow-moulded sandstone copings, of early C18 nature, though apparently reset. The R section (N) retains a small section of similar copings. The walls return towards the house on both sides to enclose a square forecourt; at the SW corner is a modern gate, at the SE is an opening.  

 

Listed Grade II* as an important and unusual pair of heraldic early C18 gatepiers with associated forecourt walls. Group value with Plas-yn-Llan.