Dimlands (also known as Dimland Castle or Dimland Lodge) was a small scale,

gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest ...

house on the north side of St Donats Road about southwest of

Cowbridge Cowbridge ( cy, Y Bont-faen) is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council. A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for e ...

in the

Vale of Glamorgan The Vale of Glamorgan ( cy, Bro Morgannwg ), often referred to as The Vale, is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf to the north, and the Bristol C ...

, southeast

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Built like a small Tudor castle, it is situated about back from the clifftops of the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...

between

Llantwit Major Llantwit Major ( cy, Llanilltud Fawr) is a town and community in Wales on the Bristol Channel coast. It is one of four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan, with the third largest population (13,366 in 2001) after Barry and Penarth, and ahead of Cowb ...

and

St Donats St Donats ( cy, Sain Dunwyd) is a village and community in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales, located just west of the small town of Llantwit Major. The community includes the village of Marcross and the hamlets of Monknash and East and Wes ...

. The main house was demolished after a fire in 1948, but its lodge, in a similar castellated style, survives and became a Grade II listed building on 9 October 1982.

History

The site was previously occupied by the fortress of Iestyn ap Gwrgant, lord of Glamorgan and the last ruler of the Welsh kingdom of Morgannwg; its fields are still known as ''Caer Wrgan'' ("Wrganstown"). The property was held by the Nicholl family since the time of

King Henry VII Henry VII (28 January 1457 – 21 April 1509) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizure of the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor. Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufo ...

. Dimlands was built by Rev.

Robert Nicholl Carne Rev. Robert Nicholl Carne (né Robert Nicholl) (13 April 1763 – 10 November 1849) was a Welsh rector, landowner, and a magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant of Glamorgan. He built Dimland Castle at the end of the 18th century upon land left him by ...

at the end of the 18th century upon land left him by his father, Whitlock Nicholl, of The Ham,

High Sheriff of Glamorgan This page is a list of High Sheriffs of Glamorgan. Sheriffs of Glamorgan served under and were answerable to the independent Lords of Glamorgan until that lordship was merged into the crown. This is in contrast to sheriffs of the English shires wh ...

in 1746. Upon Robert's death in 1849, his younger son,

John Whitlock Nicholl Carne John Whitlock Nicholl Carne (né John Whitlock Nicholl; later John Whitlock Stradling Carne) (1817–1887) FSA, JP, DCL, was a Welsh landowner, magistrate, and barrister. His seat was Dimlands. Early years Nicholl Carne was born at Dimland ...

of the University of Oxford, inherited Dimlands, and the 1850 improvements are attributed to him Dimlands was leased to the architect Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt (1820–1877) in 1875, he being the husband of Mary Nicholl of The Ham, a great niece of Robert. Wyatt died at Dimlands two years later. It is possible that John involved Wyatt (designer of The Ham mansion) in the Dimlands' 1850 renovation. In the early 20th century, from 1900 to 1921, the Crawshays were Dimlands' tenants; Tudor Crawshay was Deputy Lieutenant of Glamorgan, and vicar’s warden of St Illtyd's Church, Llantwit Major. Tudor Crawshay's son Owen was a tenant of the nearby Tresilian House at

Tresilian Bay Tresilian Bay, also Tresillian Bay, is a bay in southeast Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south ...

. The main house was destroyed by fire in 1948.

Architecture and fittings

;Exterior The dwelling was of castellated Tudor architecture with blue lias limestone exterior, and Coombedown stone windows and cornices. The south facing main front was more than in length. The western coast of Cornwall and Lundy Island were visible from the south turrets. ;Interior The interior was described in 1853 as follows: "The carved chimney in the dining room is made of Caen stone; the old Carne motto of "+FY ;+NGOBAITH+SY DD+YN. + NUW.+." (My hope is in God) is inscribed on its chief panel. Other features are Mintons tile flooring, the large Tudor style staircase, two

sitting room In Western architecture, a living room, also called a lounge room ( Australian English), lounge (British English), sitting room (British English), or drawing room, is a room for relaxing and socializing in a residential house or apartment ...

s, and the library, a newer addition. The drawing room is remarkable for the peculiar shape of its chimney piece; it has features similar to those found in some church arches. It is constructed of Caen stone, and has a label over it, ending in two supporters, with the monogram I:N:C. On this label is the ancient motto "-4-HEB.-fDHYW.+HEB.-TDHYM.+DUW+A+DIGON+". There are several large oil paintings of

St. Donat's Castle St Donat's Castle ( cy, Castell Sain Dunwyd), St Donats, Wales, is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, about to the west of Cardiff, and about to the west of Llantwit Major. Positioned on cliffs overlooking the Bristol Channel, th ...

, Lanrihangle,

, and other residences connected with this family. A later built library features a large fireplace, which is fitted with a dog grate and decorated with white glazed bricks. There are two other sitting rooms, which contain some paintings, including one of Miss Elinor Carne (afterwards Mrs. Thomas Markham) by Sir Thomas Lawrence, done at Bath, when she was only fourteen, and the painter sixteen years of age."

Grounds

The Dimlands stables were built on a small scale. Burke, in 1853, described them as consisting of sharp, pointed gables, which are finished off at the top with the Carne crest, cut in freestone, incorporating a split pelican issuing out of a ducal coronet. On the southern front of the stables, there is an odd carved stone containing the Carne arms, the date of the original grant in A.D. 1336, and the confirmation in A.D. 1842, together with an account of the assumption of the Carne surname and estates through marriage by the Rev. Robert Nicholl.

References

''This article incorporates public domain text from

John Bernard Burke Sir John Bernard Burke, (5 January 1814 – 12 December 1892) was a British genealogist and Ulster King of Arms, who helped publish ''Burke's Peerage''. Personal life Burke, of Irish descent, was born at London and was educated in London and ...

's A visitation of the seats and arms of the noblemen and gentlemen of Great Britain (1853).'' {{Reflist Country houses in Wales Houses in the Vale of Glamorgan Tudor architecture Grade II listed buildings in the Vale of Glamorgan Castles in the Vale of Glamorgan Llantwit Major Demolished buildings and structures in Wales