24134

 

II*  

Designated  

19/10/2000  

19/10/2000  

Howell's House  

 

Monmouthshire  

Grosmont  

Abergavenny  

Grosmont  

340455  

224393  

 

Approximately 20m N of Town Hall in the centre of Grosmont.  

 

 

Early C17 two unit with cross passage house; consisting of hall and partitioned service rooms. Entrance doorway bears date 1611, and letters HP said to be the initials of Howell Prichard of Grosmont. Howell's House was formerly known as 'The Shop' and a retail business continued from the mid-C19 until the mid-1980s. In early C19 a two-storey house was added to SE gable and windows in the gable-end blocked. C20 changes have included the demolition of a C17 gable on NE side, remodelling the rear outshut, and repairs to the internal fabric. The house survives with a strong historic character and fine internal features.  

C17 house is two storeys with attic and cellar. Painted stone, partly rendered, slate roof. SW front has off-centre entrance doorway with flat canopy supported on shaped brackets, and stepped doorhead inscribed '1611 HP'. Plank door with strap hinges. Ground floor has C20 glazed double-doors (left) and a 16-pane horned sash with 4-pane side lights (right). First floor a 3-light window above porch, flanked on each side by 16-pane sashes. Tudor arched cellar doorway has plank door; to right is small barred window. C19 addition (to SE) has hipped roof with brick end-stack; and 16-pane horned sashes on first and ground floors. Rear elevation has two adjoining C20 lean-to outshuts: clay tile roof (left), composition tile roof (right). Four C20 2+2+2 pane windows and a C20 glazed door (right). Back roof of main house has C20 rooflights.  

Entry into cross-passage with hall (to right). At opposite end of cross passage is C17 flat headed doorway with chamfered wooden frame. Mortices in the soffit of headbeam mark the position of a former transverse post-and-panel partition (now removed). Against this once stood an unusual open screen composed of closely spaced turned balusters, now re-positioned on a side wall. Ground-floor ceiling beams are chamfered with scroll stops, and joists are roll moulded at the angles. Ceiling beam mouldings at service end (now kitchen) suggest it was formerly partitioned. Hall has chamfered wooden fireplace lintel with diagonal stops and small carved recess on face. Fireplace stair to left has Tudor arched head. On the first floor, the principal chamber (probably former upper parlour) has a Tudor arched wooden fireplace lintel with small spice cupboard in side wall. The E wall of the adjoining room has a good C17 3-light ovolo moulded wooden mullion window with iron stanchions. Ceiling mouldings suggests the first floor was formerly partitioned into four rooms. Oak baulk staircase of winders lead up to partitioned habitable attic. Feet of the principal rafters are tenoned into the ceiling beams of the floor below. Attic partition wall has exceptionally unusual and rare fragments of C17 decorative plasterwork, including stylised Prince of Wales feathers and date 1660 (presumably to commemorate Restoration).  

Highly graded as an unusually well-preserved C17 house retaining much fine detail including rare screen and plasterwork.