13902

 

II*  

Designated  

06/10/1977  

 

The Old Rectory  

 

Cardiff  

St. Fagans  

Cardiff  

St Fagans  

312142  

177401  

 

On the east side of the village approached up the lane by the Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin.  

Domestic  

 

Built 1858-9; J Pritchard, and J P Seddon, architects. It remained the Rectory until c1975. Previous to 1860 the Rectory was a large house in the enclosure of the present Gardens House (qv Crofft-y-genau Road) and previous to that again it was probably the house by Stryt-lydan Barn, now a displayed excavation within the Museum of Welsh Life.  

Built with stone walls of coursed squared lias with Bath stone dressings, and steep roofs of Welsh slate with three tall chimney stacks, each with a band of open arcading just below the cap. House of two storeys and attic designed in an elaborately detailed French medieval character. South elevation of three bays, with windows of 2-lights in the two western bays and of 3-lights in the bay at the eastern end. Window lights to attic have trefoil heads; window lights on both attic and first floors are separated by slender columns with capitals and with cinquefoil panelling between the storeys; attic window in eastern bay projects forward from inside the tall truncated pyramidal roof. Lean-to veranda across ground floor supported by stone columns with capitals. At the west end there is in recession a tower bay with hipped slate roof and with a narrow window on both first and ground floors. East elevation: Southern bay of east elevation has tall truncated pyramidal roof (see south elevation) and a two storey projecting bay window with separate window on each floor, trefoil headed on first floor and with cambered heads below; a lower wing at right angles with gable facing north (see below); this has a paired sash window on the ground floor. To the north of this bay there is a gabled and buttressed projecting porch entered from the north. North elevation: At the east end, a gabled porch with pointed arch of dressed stone, finial and buttresses and with a small lean-to outshut against it on western side. Above the porch there is a gable with cinquefoil light with relieving arch. To the west, the second bay is narrow and has one sash window with shouldered head on both first and ground floors and with a cusped light in attic storey. Sixthly, adjoining the gable at its western end, there is a wing with a doorway and two windows at its northern wall, all with shouldered heads, windows are 2 over 2 pane sashes. The full interplay of rooflines and gables, as realised in Prichard's drawings, is visible at some distance from each elevation. The full interplay of rooflines and gables, as realised in Prichard's drawings is visible at some distance from each elevation.  

Interior not available for inspection at resurvey, but is said by the owner to have been extensively altered from the Victorian planning.  

Included and highly graded as an important Victorian house designed by Prichard and Seddon, possibly the finest of their many rectories.