Full Report for Listed Buildings
The list description is not intended to be a complete inventory of what is listed: it is principally intended to aid identification. By law, the definition of a listed building includes the entire building (i) and any structure or object that is fixed to the said building and ancillary to it and (ii) any other structure or object that forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948, and was within the curtilage of the building, and ancillary to it, on the date on which said building was first included in the list, or on 1 January 1969, whichever was later.
Summary Description
Reference Number
23059
Building Number
Grade
II*
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
29/03/2000
Date of Amendment
29/03/2000
Name of Property
Grotto about 30m to the south east of Dewstow House
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Monmouthshire
Community
Caerwent
Town
Newport
Locality
Dewstow
Easting
346806
Northing
188862
Street Side
NE
Location
In Dewstow about 1km north of the centre of Caldicot and situated on the north east side of Dewstow Road.
Description
Broad Class
Domestic
Period
History
The Dewstow estate was bought in about 1890 by the agriculturalist Henry Oakley (died 1940) who was mainly responsible for laying out the very elaborate gardens in the years round about 1900. He may well have been influenced in their design by E J Lowe (died 1900) who lived at the nearby Shirenewton Hall and was also a fern grower. The underground gardens, constructed mainly of concrete block, brick and artificial stone (perhaps Pulhamite), are large and remarkable. The three surviving areas are listed separately.
Exterior
It is approached from the north down cement steps through a rough artificial stone arch. It is approached from the south through a small roughly circular rockwork area with two pools in the artificial rock floor and no roof. Steps lead down from ground level to another rough arch.
Interior
The steps lead to a winding passage lined with artificial rockwork. In the floor of the passage is a narrow rill, which widens into a pool in the central chamber. There is no top lighting, only an occasional hole in the roof to let a small amount of light enter; otherwise this area is completely dark. There are side chambers with fantastic forms and stalactites.
Reason for designation
Included as the garden features of an early C19 villa with well preserved character which was occupied for a long time (c1890-c1940) by Henry Oakley, a well known horticulturalist and breeder of shire horses. The garden is principally his work and includes these exceptionally fine and well preserved grottoes from about 1900 which were designed for the growth and display of ferns, an Oakley specialism. It is highly graded for these reasons.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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