1986

 

II  

Designated  

09/01/1956  

26/06/2006  

Pant-y-Goitre House  

 

Monmouthshire  

Gobion Fawr  

Abergavenny  

Llanfair Kilgeddin  

334775  

208579  

 

About 100m west of Pant-y-Goitre crossroads on the road to Nant-y-derry and standing above the River Usk on the south bank.  

Domestic  

 

This house has twice had very major changes while a single dwelling and has then been divided into three as at present (Pant-y-Goitre House, Avalon and Velindre). It is said to have been first built in 1726, when it was a red brick house, with its main block facing north towards the river, with the Drawing Room facing west and a two-storey service wing stretching towards the road on the south. It could have been a Francis Smith of Warwick type house with a main three storey block (Francis Smith was engaged on Davenport House in Shropshire in 1726) or it could have been two storeys and attics with a hipped roof and central pediment. This house had its entrance in the centre of the current north front with a room on the north-east corner, the entrance hall in the centre and the stair compartment in the north-west corner. The stair position is indicated by the two blind windows on the north end of the garden elevation where the 1726 stair ran across the wall in the Francis Smith manner. The house underwent a major re-modelling at some time after 1776 and before 1832, which may have been a single campaign or two. The original house was possibly heightened to three storeys, with the entrance moved from the north to the east fronts, while the colonnades and other stone decorations were added and the brickwork stuccoed. Alternatively John Newman says that the three storey block is an addition to an existing house lying to the south (Velindre, q.v.) which was later given the neo-classical stone trim and the changes in the planning, but the position of the staircase seems to make this less likely. Only an inspection of the attics and the walls behind the render could really give the true explanation. The orangery is said to have been added in 1890 and, at this time, the interior was remodelled to allow this. The principal changes were the removal of the staircase from its compartment and the formation of the north ground floor into a single Drawing Room. In the later C20 the house was divided into three dwellings as it now remains, but the exterior has been only changed in small details such as the upper floor windows.  

Pant-y-Goitre House comprises the ground and first floors of the main block. The conservatory belongs wholly to Pant-y-Goitre. This is a curved structure of rendered brick, iron and glass in the form of a 7-bay colonnade. The concave side faces north and the convex side with the wider bays faces to the sun. Plain Tuscan colonnade with 12 + 12 pane French casements between. Large timber cornices carrying gutters and solid wall to the end gable. The roof is glazed in 3-pane sections with central purlin.  

The interior has been altered twice, first when the access and planning were changed and secondly when the conservatory was added. (see History) The front door enters a cross passage with the long Drawing Room on the right and the stair to the rear left. The stair is very steep and very awkwardly placed, clearly demonstrating an alteration. The Drawing Room is a long rectangle comprising the whole of the north front made up from what originally was a room, the entrance hall and the staircase. The finish to the room is plain neo-classical as with the hallway, both of the early C20. The conservatory is one unsupported space with decorative light iron roof trusses with a propeller motif in roundels. The upper floors were not seen at resurvey.  

Included for its special interest as a fine C18 country house with good later additions, including a fine conservatory.  

Pant-y-Goitre House and Avalon This comprises the main block of the old Pant-y-Goitre, Avalon being the top floor and its approach. The former service wing is now a separate dwelling called Velindre and is listed separately (qv). The house is said to be built of red brick but is now completely rendered and painted except for the Bath limestone ashlar details. The natural slate roof is hidden behind the tall parapets. Double depth plan of a large rectangular three storey block with 6 x 5 windows. The planning has been altered, see History. East (entrance) front: This is of six bays with the entrance in the fourth bay from the left (Pant-y-Goitre) while the entrance to Avalon is in the link (see Avalon). The ground floor has a projecting 8-bay colonnade of unfluted Doric columns supporting a plain entablature. The centrepiece of two bays is heightened by an additional two panels and cornice, the entrance door is below the right hand part of this. Six over 6 pane sashes with stone cills in plain openings. The first floor has six more 6 over 6 pane sashes, the second floor has 3 x 3 pane casements. Deep ashlar cornice with the centre section raised as before. Central downpipe revealing that the roof has a centre valley between two hipped roofs running on the 5-bay axis; chimney to right hand end on this elevation. North (river) front: This was the entrance front to the original house (see History). This has 5-bays with a 7-bay ashlar colonnade returned from the east as before though without a central feature on the cornice. Window details to the three floors are as on the east elevation. The eaves cornice carries a heightened feature over the three central windows. West (garden) front: This is severely plain with window details as before. Bays 1 and 2 however on both ground and first floors have been affected by the addition of a large conservatory, French door on the ground floor into the conservatory, two blind windows above. Bay 3 has a modern French casement with marginal glazing. Plain continuous cornice, chimney to right hand end of roof. South (road) elevation: This elevation is featureless but has a two storey link to Velindre the first bay of which carries the entrance for Avalon.