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
2857
Building Number
 
Grade
II*  
Status
Designated  
Date of Designation
03/09/1991  
Date of Amendment
19/03/2001  
Name of Property
Swiss Cottage  
Address
 

Location


Unitary Authority
Monmouthshire  
Community
Whitecastle  
Town
Monmouth  
Locality
Rockfield  
Easting
348087  
Northing
214365  
Street Side
SW  
Location
Reached from B4233 at the S end of Rockfield; approximately 0.5km along the tree-lined former drive to the Hendre. Secluded setting beside brook.  

Description


Broad Class
Domestic  
Period
 

History
Designed in 1905 by Sir Aston Webb, architect of London, as a lodge to The Hendre which was enlarged by the same architect before 1902 and was the home of the Rolls Family, pioneers of aviation and motoring.  

Exterior
A small single-storey estate worker's cottage in an inspired and unusually distinctive symmetrical Arts-and-Crafts design. The compactness of the plan and the use of traditional materials suggests the influence of Sir Edwin Lutyens while the design of the roof and chimney stacks recalls the work of C F A Voysey. Built of snecked sandstone rubble with black and white close-studded treatment to the upper half of the walls, and a tiled hipped roof with exceptionally broadly swept boarded eaves (probably the reason for its "Swiss Cottage" name) carried at the corners on dragon-post like timber brackets with capitals over stone pilasters tapering inwards towards the plinth. Breaking through the eaves in the centre is a tall canted porch of freestone with a deeply chamfered Tudor-arched doorway (up 3 steps), a ribbed oak door, a high parapet with a sunk panel containing a sundial with carved sunburst, and ball finials to the corners. At each corner is a small-paned 2-light timber-frame casement window, returned round the corner. Each side wall has a massive rubble chimney stack tapered towards the top, and the right-hand end has leaded, multipaned smoke-window to an inglenook. Small 1950s extension to rear.  

Interior
Deep brick-lined inglenook fireplace, and plan-form slightly changed (when recorded in 1991).  

Reason for designation
Listed as an exceptionally interesting and well-preserved example of an estate building by a leading British architect and for its location on the important Hendre estate.  

Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]





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