2379

 

II  

Designated  

30/04/1973  

10/11/2005  

Old Nevill Hall (Conference Centre)  

 

Monmouthshire  

Abergavenny  

Abergavenny  

Nevill Hall Hospital  

328776  

214286  

S  

To rear (south) of Nevill Hall Hospital with grounds going down to the River Usk.  

Health and Welfare  

 

Built in the 1860s as a country house for James Charles Hill, of Blaenafon iron works, and known as 'The Brooks'. He had purchased the existing property in 1860, followed by demolition and rebuilding. Purchased in 1890 by the Marquess of Abergavenny, and renamed Nevill Court. The Marquess died in 1915 and the house was sold as Nevill Hall in 1916, 1918 and finally in 1920 when it became a hospital. After the building of the present hospital in the 1970s, it became a conference and training centre for the health authority.  

Only the north-west (entrance) front and the north-east elevation were seen at resurvey (March 2005) and other details are from the listing description of 1997. Built of snecked stone in shallow courses, tiled roof with many surviving elaborate stone chimneys. Large mid-to-late C19 mansion of Tudor-Gothic character. L-plan with main rectangular entrance block facing north-west and a long service and bedroom wing to rear. Two storeys plus attics. Mostly narrow horned sash glazing set in stone mullioned windows. Most gables retain elaborate scalloped and fretted bargeboards. The entrance front has three windows, two gables; central crenellated splayed oriel window above porch with Gothic doorway; to each side, on first floor, 4-light mullion and transom window beneath Gothic relieving arch with small Gothic window; on ground floor, to left, crenellated square bay window with five Gothic lights to right, crenellated splayed bay window. To left (east), long wing has central group of three gables where taller central gable is flanked by lower half-hipped gables; to right, chimney with three stone stacks in form of columns; at left end a cross-range with steeply pitched gable, below which is a single-storey block. South return has a long elevation with four dormer windows with fretted bargeboards and, below these, a lower block with two broad gables flanking a narrow central bay; at right (south-east) corner, a turreted entrance porch. Long south-west elevation has a gable with fretted bargeboards, and 3-window block with gablet with fretted bargeboard; to left, a turret at angle with rear of main block. Main block has, to left, a chimney with three flues in form of group of columns. Below this, a stone Gothic (former) conservatory with crenellated parapet, semi-hexagonal bay, elaborate Gothic floral corbels and capitals, wooden doors and glazing with cusped tracery; to right, entrance with 4-light Gothic window over, Gothic window to right.  

Interior not available at resurvey except for the entrance hall and staircase. Entrance hall with deep fleur-de-lys and leaf cornice. Top-lit cantilever staircase with wrought-iron balustrade runs up to second floor, landings with deep fleur-de-lys cornices; modern glazing to stair-light. To rear of main block, wooden Gothic screen to half-timbered lobby and Gothic former conservatory. Although modernised, (suspended ceilings etc) for use as education centre, the house retains many panelled doors, cornices, fireplaces etc.  

Listed for its special interest as a substantial well-preserved former country house with historic connections with first a prominent local industrialist and later with the Marquess of Abergavenny.