History
The Maesllwch property, consisting of a manor house containing a hall, parlour, buttery, kitchen, dairy, brewery, larder and chapel, with eight gardens, 8 messuages and 600 acres was held by William Fychan (Vaughan) until 1582, when it passed through the female line to Charles Lloyd of Wernos, the prominent dissenter. After his death in 1698, it passed to Humphrey Howarth of Cabalva, who demolished the old house and built a new building c.1729, of 7 x 5 bays in a Queen Anne style, with roof walk. His son became MP, and was lucratively employed by the crown, until he became bankrupt c.1750. John Wilkins, a Brecon solicitor, who had enriched himself by involvement in industrial development in S Wales, founder of Old Brecon Bank, and MP for Radnorshire 1796 to 1828, bought the estate, and it was inherited by Walter Wilkins II, his son, who had amassed a fortune in India, and who returned to Wales in 1773. He later demolished the Howarth house and built a castellated country house in 1829-1839 to take advantage of the drama of the site, using Robert Lugar as architect. This prodigal building was largely demolished in 1951, leaving the castellated eastern end bay, called the batchelor's wing, and the service wing, the latter an addition of 1872 (foundation stone of Aug 7th 1872) by E.H.Burnell and H.S.Legg, in a similar but more earnest (Haslam) style. This was converted into the present more manageable house. The Lugar house was on a rectangular plan, set further forward than its C18 predecessor and rose from a level terrace. It consisted of a tall circular tower forming the entrance, linked to the main circulation hall at the centre of the block, with reception rooms at the front overlooking the valley. It had corner towers but was asymmetrical in composition.