15616

 

II*  

Designated  

18/04/1991  

24/11/1998  

Carreg Cennen House  

 

Carmarthenshire  

Dyffryn Cennen  

Llandeilo  

Trapp  

265313  

219282  

 

Situated about 0.5 km N of Trap, approached by avenue of limes from gates set in stone flanking walls on E side of road to Llandeilo.  

Domestic  

 

Country house built in 1807 for Thomas Wright Lawford, who appears to have been land agent to Lord Dynevor and may have been connected in India to Sir William Paxton of Middleton Hall, Llanarthne. In 1841 Lawford owned 43.74 hectares with the house. Lawford's son sold the house to Nathaniel Davies, and alterations were made in the late 1860s or early 1870s for his nephew Thomas Powell, great-grandfather to the present owner. It is suggested that S.P. Cockerell, Paxton's architect at Middleton Hall in 1793-5 could have also designed this house, altogether plainer but with internal detail that might match Cockerell's work.  

Country house, unpainted render (original Roman cement survives on ground floor), with slated hipped roofs and internal valley. Basically square plan, but SW side is longer to enclose part of service yard, with lower service ranges enclosing the other two sides. Two rendered stacks on ridges to rear of front range, and one on ridge of wing. Close eaves with wide-spaced later C19 small brackets on front only. House is built on an artificial terrace to command the view. Two-storey, three-window broad late Georgian SE front with thin glazing-bar sashes and stone sills. Ground floor within an open veranda. 12-pane sashes above, 4-12-4-pane tripartite sashes below, the upper sashes in later C19 moulded stucco architraves. Central arched doorway with radiating-bar fanlight and half-glazed door. Trellis work, probably early C19 in timber over ground floor wall. Veranda is paved with stone flags and steps to front door, and has glazed roof on thin cast-iron columns topped by trefoil panels. Screen wall each end. Left end wall has 9-pane sash over 10-pane window, and is part of long SW front, to same roof line, gable-ended to left. Nine-pane window over half-glazed door to centre, and to left, three 12-pane sashes over basement window. Beyond is lower range with single sash over 2 basement doors. Gable-end door in rusticated stucco surround and 12-pane window. Right (NE) side is much shorter, hipped both ends with 9-pane sashes to first floor, one to left, two to right. Glazed double door to ground floor right. Beyond are low service ranges, the first with eaves breaking hipped dormer and 9-pane sash. Rear of house and rear courtyard buildings all whitewashed, the buildings built into bank and reached by steps down from rear into flagged narrow courtyard. Rear of house has 12-pane stair-light to left and 9-pane window over 16-pane sash to right, in angle to rear wing which has half-glazed door, tripartite window and 6-panel door facing court. Lower outbuildings, NE side with one triple casement. Enclosing rear NW of court is two-storey outside kitchen with rendered end stack. Two-window range to court, door and 16-pane sash below, small sashes above. Slate-roofed hipped shelter with Doric timber column supporting corner connects this door with door on rear wing. Additional outbuilding at top of steps at end of NE side.  

Plan with central entrance hall running back, past drawing-room to right and library to left, to reach staircase-hall at right rear. Good quality detailing includes moulded cornices, architraves and skirtings; marble chimney-pieces, 6-panel doors and panelled window splays. Arched sideboard recess to inner wall of library (formerly dining-room). Cantilevered, openwell, timber staircase (plus additional support), mahogany handrail on painted uprights. Remarkable triple arcade to first-floor landing and single arched recess in staircase wall; these have fluted and marbled pilasters plus unusual openwork piers to arcade. Longitudinal bedroom corridor, arched entry towards right, woodwork detailing as before.  

Graded II* as a good early C19 gentry house, and for the fine interior detail of the stair hall.