21232

 

II  

Designated  

04/05/1973  

29/01/1999  

Stable block at Merthyr Mawr House  

 

Bridgend  

Merthyr Mawr  

 

Merthyr Mawr House  

288921  

177970  

 

On E side of service court of Merthyr Mawr House, and forming the W side of the Kitchen Garden.  

Domestic  

 

Sir John Nicholl purchased the Merthyr Mawr Estate in 1804 and planned a new country residence away from the old manor house, Merthyr Mawr Hall (now the site of Home Farm). A new site was chosen below Chapel Hill which overlooks the Ogmore valley. In 1806 Henry Wood was engaged as architect and conceived a new house with attached offices and a stable, drawings for which were much modified by Nicholl. The stable was probably not completed until after the house was finished in 1809. It was re-roofed in the early 1820s.  

Consisting of a central square coach house facing W flanked by L-shaped wings enclosing a yard. Two storeys, of coursed limestone; the coach house has a pyramidal slate roof with an open bellcote and weathervane, the wings have hipped slate roofs, all above wide, bracketed eaves. The coach house is slightly advanced from the wings and is slightly higher. It has a central tall and wide doorway with segmental head. In the upper storey are fixed lights under flat arches, and a clock in the centre. Flanking the coach house the wings both have similar but smaller doorways with double boarded doors. The N wing has a boarded door and small-pane sash window, both under flat arches, in the lower storey, and a sash window below the wall plate. In its return wall facing the yard is a boarded stable door to L with a small-paned sash window to its R, R of which is a boarded door and a replaced window, all under flat arches. The upper storey has a central boarded loft opening beneath the eaves. The S wing is similar in form but differs in details. To the R of the double doors are a horned sash window and a boarded door to extreme R (opening to straight stairs). In the upper storey is a central sash window. In the return wall facing the yard is a boarded door with overlight and flanking fixed light to the L, and a blind window and doorway to its R. In the upper storey is a 2-light casement window with boarding below it, inserted in the original loft opening. The end wall of the N wing has a tall blind segmental-headed window flanked by blind windows under a flat arches, and a 2-light casement in an earlier opening above. A lean-to is attached to the outer side of the wing with boarded double doors. The end wall of the S wing has similar blind windows, with a small casement inserted into part of the central window, and a 2-light casement above. The outer wall of the wing, which faces the drying ground on the S side, has brickwork in its lower part and has three 2-light casements below the eaves inserted in original openings. The rear wall has a lower storey of brick and forms the W wall of the kitchen garden. The coach house has an infilled central doorway and 2 upper-storey windows, with inserted casement to the L and inserted latticework boarding to the R. To the R of the coach house the N wing has small-pane hornless sashes flanking a central loft doorway, below which is a segmental headed doorway with a blind window to its L. The S wing has a small-pane sash upper R, immediately L of which is a stone stack. In the lower storey is a central blind doorway with a blind window to its R and a boarded door to its L under a small-pane overlight.  

Now used as workshops and for storage. The N wing retains stalls and a floor of stone setts survives in part. In the lean-to on the N side of the N wing is a flagstone floor with a drain in the centre, and a dairy with salting slabs and a plaster barrel ceiling (which is also said to have been used as an ice house).  

A large early C19 stable and coach house retaining original character and detail, and for group value with Merthyr Mawr House and other associated listed items.