84984

74  

II  

Designated  

29/07/2005  

29/07/2005  

Orielton House  

74 Main Street  

Pembrokeshire  

Pembroke  

Pembroke  

Pembroke  

198593  

201418  

N  

On the N side of Main Street some 60m W of its junction with East Back.  

Domestic  

 

Substantial earlier C19 town house, altered in later C19. Probably not built as a pair with No 72 Marven House, which is to the same scale but has a wholly later C19 character. Associated with the Orielton estate, sold in 1857, said to have been the family town-house, but not identified as such in the 1857 sale catalogue. Occupied in 1926 by N. Dosson Lowless, solicitor. The porch and dressed stone basement look early C19 but glazing, cornices and balconies are later C19. Long rear garden stepping down towards Mill Pond with a C20 garden room formed from outbuilding over two brick vaulted chambers.  

Terraced house, paired with No 72 adjoining. Painted stucco with slate roof, moulded projecting eaves and brick end chimneys. Basement and three storeys, two-window range. Channelled pier to left and to upper part of right (showing that the house was built up from end wall of the earlier No 76 Beech House). Later C19 sashes with marginal glazing bars, those to top floor shorter than full-length first floor windows which have later C19 cornices on consoles and cast-iron flower balconies, with corner iron finials. Tooled grey stone sills and stucco string courses. Ground floor has big later C19 tripartite sash to right with similar cornice and tooled grey stone sill. To left is flight of four broad stone steps (three of sandstone) up to stone platform for columned porch, and two further steps to recessed doorway. Three-panel door, the lower one fielded (as on No 72), with iron hand-and-wreath knocker. Overlight marked 'Orielton House'. Steps are grey limestone or sandstone with low grey stone side walls with gabled coping. Porch is on grey stone platform, two tall thin painted columns of tooled grey limestone (like those on Nos 86 and 111) with moulded caps and bases, shallow frieze and cornice to flat roof. Panelled soffit. Grey hammer-dressed squared limestone facing to basement to right, with broad basement door. Above door-head level is plinth of tooled grey stone with cambered arch over basement entry infilled with C20 door and window. Three-storey rear wing with roof hipped to NW. N end French window to ground floor and big small-paned sash with marginal glazing bars to two upper floors. First floor window has cast-iron flower balcony like those on front range. NE short wing also gabled, containing staircase, curved landing window on corner.  

Entrance hall passage to left with panelled arch into large stair hall to right behind front room. Front room has later C19 5-panel hardwood door, dark grey marble fireplace, and sideboard recess with panelled pilasters. Stair hall has been altered in later C19, probably by incorporation of a small rear room. Earlier C19 chimneypiece with reeded surround and square rosettes at angles. Good cast-iron grate. Five-panel door to rear kitchen wing. Later C19 staircase with twisted balusters and scrolled tread ends. Moulded rail scrolled at foot on twisted balusters and twisted newel. Stair is curved and rises in four flights. First floor front room has mid to later C19 character: ceiling rose with leaf-spray ornament, grey marble chimneypiece, hardwood five-panel door. Other rooms have five-panel doors. Stair has sloping roof-light. Basement under front part of house said to have been a shop. Small arched roughcast stone vault to rear right more probably late C18 than medieval.  

Included for its special architectural interest as a substantial town house of late Georgian origins altered in later C19 with good interiors.