26999

 

II  

Designated  

21/10/2002  

21/10/2002  

Plas Frongog  

 

Ceredigion  

Faenor  

Aberystwyth  

Llanbadarn Fawr  

261376  

281168  

 

Situated at the end of a drive off a minor road on the E side of Llanbadarn Fawr some 350m N of the A44.  

Domestic  

 

Gentry villa of c1885 by Middleton & Son of Cheltenham, built for a Mr Jones. Marked on 1888 O.S. map. Called recently erected in 1892 when Mrs Jones moved from there to Padarn Villa. Occupied in 1895 and 1910 by the Misses A.E. and M. Jones, owned by T.C. Jones. Occupied in 1920 by R.T. Greer JP, retired Indian civil servant and son-in-law of Sir Gruffudd Pugh Evans of Lovesgrove in 1920 (but he is listed as at Plas Dolau from 1912 and in 1926) and by T. C. Jones in 1926. A file in Middleton papers relating to the building is dated c1879, sale particulars of c1990 say built in 1882, but tenders were only advertised in 1885 and expenses for visits to a F.J. Jones of Aberystwyth were paid 1885-92 that may relate to this house. House is raised on a terrace overlooking driveway up from S and gardens to E.  

House, rock-faced grey rubble stone with tooled Llanddewi Brefi stone quoins, ashlar dressings and slate double-valley eaves roofs. Tall brick chimney in right valley. Tall two and a half storey, 3-bay S front, with centre gable between half-hipped gables, all with bargeboards carved with a vine-leaf pattern. Plinth. Ashlar mullion-and-transom windows, with dripmoulds to first floor, and moulded string across ground floor. Centre and right gables have small 3-light attic mullion windows, first floor 2-light to centre and 3-light to right, both mullion-and-transom, and ground floor right pair of 2-light long windows with 2 transoms. Left gable has ground floor, first floor and attic 3-light mullion-and-transom windows, the first floor and attic ones set lower than corresponding windows to centre and right. Centre ashlar doorcase projects slightly with stringcourse also stepped forward over Tudor-arched door with carved spandrels and sidelights and 4 top-lights. Plank door with wrought iron strap hinges. Above the string course, a small blank plaque in pedimented strapwork frame. Leaded coloured glass to door side-lights and top-lights, also to ground floor window top-lights. E garden front is 2-storey with 2 projecting bays, that to left half-hipped with bargeboards, that to right a broad semi-circle in plan with curved roof. Left square bay has big ground floor 4-light window with two transoms, first floor 3-light mullion-and-transom, and similar single-lights to side walls. String course over ground floor. Curved bay to right has almost continuous glazing to ground floor in 3 3-light similar windows divided by ashlar piers, and also 3 3-light windows to first floor. Stained glass to top-lights of ground floor. N side has ridge and W end stacks, 3-light and 2-light window above, pair of 3-light windows with double transoms to ground floor left, and 3-light mullion and transom window right. Ground floor windows have stained glass top-lights. W service side is 2-storey and attic, with gable-end of N range to left with brick stack, and two-and-half storey section to right. This has half-hipped eaves-breaking dormer with bargeboards and cross-window to left, over, but not aligned with transomed single light each floor left and cross-window each floor centre. Right has door and windows slightly to right at intermediate levels, lighting service stair. A single storey former coach-house range runs parallel to W gable of N range and extends N, with three openings to W with timber posts an angle braces, part-infilled in stone, glazed above. C20 opening in N end wall, cross window in S end.  

Encaustic-tiled entrance hall and stair hall. Windows around front door have coloured glass with stained glass small panels, the top-lights with 2 thistles and 2 shamrocks, the side lights with 2 roses and royal crown below. Inner glaze screen with leaded glass in top-lights and panelled door. Segmental-pointed hall arch. Big top-lit open-well centre stair-hall with timber stair on 3 sides. Stair has heavy details, moulded closed string, turned balusters and turned newels with ball-type finials and pendants. Landing on W has triple arcade of round columns with ovolo-moulded pointed arches. Glazing of lantern is C20, but original dentil cornice around. ground floor 5-panel doors to principal rooms. SE former dining-room has segmental-pointed sideboard recess to N, and heavy purple marble W fireplace. NE drawing room has heavily-moulded ceiling border and cornice. white marble W fireplace. N room and SW study have simple coloured marble fireplaces. Ground floor rooms have painted glass panels of birds and coloured leaded glass in top-lights.  

Included as a late Victorian smaller country house of architectural character, one of the notable group built around Aberystwyth in the later C19.