Chapel House, Hereford Road, Monmouth, Wales, is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

townhouse A townhouse, townhome, town house, or town home, is a type of terraced housing. A modern townhouse is often one with a small footprint on multiple floors. In a different British usage, the term originally referred to any type of city residence ...

, built in the early eighteenth century, described by the architectural historian John Newman, as "the best house in the entire street". The house was designated a

Grade II* In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

listed building on 27 June 1952. Chapel House is now a boarding house of

Monmouth School Monmouth School for Boys is a public school (independent day and boarding school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a bequest from William Jones, a successful merchant and trader. The School is run as a trust, t ...

History

The house, originally called The Chantry, then St Brides, is substantially of the early eighteenth century. It has been credited as replacing another building on the same site, although no evidence of this has been found. It was built or improved by the

ironmaster An ironmaster is the manager, and usually owner, of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain. The ironmaster was usually a large ...

William Rea, a former

Mayor of Monmouth The Mayor of Monmouth is an elected position given to a town councillor in Monmouth in Wales. The position dates back about 750 years. History The position of Mayor in Monmouth was established in the thirteenth century by the people who were ...

, around 1720. The windows were replaced and a new entrance doorway was added around 1800, probably by ironmaster David Tanner. Chapel House was restored in 1910 by Humphrey Farran Hall who repaired the panelling. When it was reroofed in the later twentieth century, the large chimney stacks were removed. The name changed from St Brides in the late 1970s when Chapel House, a boarding house of

Monmouth School for Boys Monmouth School for Boys is a public school (independent day and boarding school) for boys in Monmouth, Wales. The school was founded in 1614 with a bequest from William Jones, a successful merchant and trader. The School is run as a trust, t ...

, relocated from St James's Street.

Description

The building is of "seven bays under a hipped roof." It gives the appearance of being two buildings back to back, like several other houses in Monmouth. Curiously, the garden range is larger than the street range. The red-brick walls to the side, which give access to a service court, and the garden stretching down to the River Monnow are "contemporary", the garden representing a "rare substantial townhouse garden from the early 18th century". It is registered at Grade II on the

Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), th ...

. The interior contains plasterwork and a staircase which "echo

Troy House Troy House is a Welsh historic house, on a "ducal" scale, north-east of Mitchel Troy, Monmouthshire. The original house belonged to Blanche Herbert, Lady Troy, of the Herbert family of Raglan Castle, who owned great estates in South Wales as Mar ...

and Great Castle House", although John Newman considers that the quality of the interior fittings surpasses those of either.

References

Sources

* * {{Buildings in Monmouth Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire Houses in Monmouth, Wales Houses completed in 1752 Registered historic parks and gardens in Monmouthshire