2109

 

II  

Designated  

03/06/1964  

19/03/2001  

Sarn  

 

Monmouthshire  

Skenfrith  

Monmouth  

Skenfrith  

345626  

220271  

 

On the W side of the road in the centre of Skenfrith village, facing Skenfrith Castle approximately 50m to the SE.  

Domestic  

 

A building with external characteristics mainly of the C19 but with some internal features and fabric suggesting that its early phases were associated with the partial dismantling of Skenfrith Castle when that fell into disuse. The previous owner believed it to have been in use as a Priests' House from the later C15 to the early C16. It was used as a public house or inn during the C19.  

A long 2-storey house resulting from extensions to, and remodelling of, a core which probably dates from the C16. It is built of coursed sandstone rubble with stone quoins and red brick dressings, a blue slate roof and stone chimneys with red brick terminals. It has an irregular 7-window E front raised to a tall gable in the centre, creating a tripartite effect which disguises the internal fact that the earliest structure is contained partly in the range to the right (the hall) and partly under the gable (its service room). The gabled portion has a wide segmental-headed tripartite sash offset to the right at ground floor, a small sashed window to the left under a run-out wooden lintel, 2 horned sash windows at 1st floor, a blocked round-headed window in the gable, and a chimney at the apex. The range to the left has a segmental-headed wagon doorway at the left end, a 4-pane sash next to this, 2 small windows under a wooden lintel to the right of that, and 3 sash windows at 1st floor, the first 4-paned and the 3rd 16-paned; and the roof is hipped at the junction with the adjoining property. The range to the right has a panelled door with glazed top panels, flanked on each floor by 4-pane sash windows (those at ground floor segmental-headed); and further to the right is a roughly-quoined vertical joint, beyond which there is one segmental-headed 4-pane sash window at ground floor. Most of the windows have red brick surrounds and painted stone sills. The right-hand gable wall has one window on each floor. At the rear the main feature of interest is a very wide extruded chimney stack at the back of that portion containing the hall, terminating at eaves level (the roof swept out over it) and enclosed at ground floor by a wide lean-to. It now has a narrow small-paned stair-window to the right at 1st-floor level and a C19 brick chimney shaft to the left, with a corbelled top. There is a similar C19 chimney at the NW corner. The swept eaves of the roof continue to the S of the main chimney stack, crossing a canted chimney stack in line with the gabled centre of the front, above which is a short square brick chimney. Otherwise, the rear wall has 2 doorways and various small casement windows of less obvious significance.  

Entry from the doorway in the N portion is directly into the hall, which is of 2 structural bays and has a massive chamfered lateral beam with triangle stops carrying similarly-decorated joists, originally closely-spaced but alternate ones now missing. Near the S end of this room is a half-beam. This probably indicates the position of a former wooden partition or screen, and the alignment of a doorway in the rear wall with the present window to the left of the present front door suggests that there was formerly a cross-passage beyond such a screen. The hall has much ex situ C17 panelling, etc. including a carved black oak fireplace surround with an overmantel. This fireplace, which is in the rear wall, is obviously of reduced width, and to the left of it is a plain C18 ¼-turn staircase built into the S half of the stack. The room to the S of the hall has beams and joists which do not span the full width, and the next room to the S has re-used timbers as ceiling beams. Other early fabric is visible on the upper floor, but not immediately intelligible.  

Included as a characterful C19 village building retaining significant evidence of earlier origins, including high-quality interior detail.