Drybridge House is a large 17th-century Grade II*

listed building 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 ...

in Monmouth, south east

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 west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It is located to the southwest of the town at one end of Drybridge Street, close to the “dry bridge” over a small stream, which is now buried beneath a nearby roundabout. It is one of 24 buildings on the

Monmouth Heritage Trail The Monmouth Heritage Trail is a walking route which connects various sights in the town of Monmouth, Wales. History In 2009 Monmouth Civic Society identified 24 historic and interesting buildings in the town, and organised the production and fix ...

, and is now managed as the Bridges Centre.

History and architecture

The first house on this site was built for John Roberts before 1558 and was probably a large black and white gabled farmhouse. The present house was rebuilt in 1671 by William Roberts of Monmouth, whilst serving as Receiver and Paymaster of the King's Works at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

. Parts of its surrounding land and outbuildings were sold off in 1840. Bridges Community Centre: Drybridge House History
. Accessed 9 February 2012 A descendant of William Roberts,

Charles Henry Crompton-Roberts Charles Henry Crompton-Roberts (né Roberts; 7 March 1832 – 15 November 1891) was a British landowner and politician. He was briefly a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament before his election was annulled in 1880, a ...

, was responsible for restoring and enlarging the house, and adding a new south wing, in 1867. Crompton-Roberts was

High Sheriff of Monmouthshire This is a list of Sheriffs of Monmouthshire, an office which was created in 1536 but not fully settled until 1540. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, the shrievalty of Monmouthshire was abolished, and replac ...

in 1877, and later M.P. for

Sandwich A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...

. The house was owned for 400 years by the Roberts (and Crompton-Roberts) family, who took an active interest in supporting the people and organisations in the town. It has reception rooms with fine plasterwork ceilings, woodcarvings, and specially commissioned

grisaille Grisaille ( or ; french: grisaille, lit=greyed , from ''gris'' 'grey') is a painting executed entirely in shades of grey or of another neutral greyish colour. It is particularly used in large decorative schemes in imitation of sculpture. Many g ...

roundels of the

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in the bay windows."From Featherbeds to Bridges": The story of Drybridge House and the Crompton-Roberts family, page 44 The 1867 porch masks a 1671 datestone beneath its pediment.John Newman, ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'', 2000, , p.402 The current house's magnificent interiors still contain items from William Roberts' building, such as the studded door of the tea room, parts of the oak panelling and staircase, and some of the carved fireplaces and Delft-tiled surrounds. Portraits of Charles Crompton-Roberts and his wife Mary can be found in the gallery. Charles Crompton-Roberts was interested in horticulture and sport and designed a parkland garden with an exceptional collection of trees and a cricket pitch, upon which

W. G. Grace William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He played first-class cricket for a record-equal ...

and his brother played in a team against a Monmouthshire side. The pitch has now gone but many of the trees still survive. The family also added many carvings to the exterior walls, including portraits of their three eldest children, Henry Roger, Violet Mary and Charles Montagu. A frequent visitor to the house at that time was the composer Edward Elgar, who conducted and composed for local musical organisations, and gave violin and piano lessons. One of his pupils was

Alice Roberts Alice May Roberts (born 19 May 1973) is an English biological anthropologist, biologist, television presenter and author. Since 2012 she has been Professor of the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham. She was President ...

, a cousin of the family, whom he later married. Drybridge House eventually passed to Richard Crompton Roberts, who was killed in action during the retreat from Dunkirk in 1940, and then to his sister Mary. After she married John Callender, she sold the house in 1947 to

Monmouthshire County Council Monmouthshire County Council (or simply Monmouthshire Council) ( cy, Cyngor Sir Fynwy) is the governing body for the Monmouthshire principal area – one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The current unitary authority was created in 1996 a ...

, with the caveat that it be used for the benefit of local people. It was then used as a welfare home for the elderly, and an extension was built in 1951. However, the home was closed suddenly in 1989, and - apart from a few months as a temporary police station - was left empty and deteriorating, despite its designation in 1991 as a Grade II* listed building and local protests against its abandonment. In 1998 the Bridges charity, based at the time in another building in Monmouth, won an agreement to develop Drybridge House as a

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

, and major fundraising began. With further grants, and the assistance of Cadw and the

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

, work took place on the refurbishment and restoration of the building, much of it involving volunteers from the local community. All the rooms were eventually opened for public use by the end of 2003.

Notes

References

* Keith Kissack, (2003), ''Monmouth and its Buildings'', Logaston Press, * Roberts, D., (2004), "''From Featherbeds to Bridges", The Story of Drybridge House and the Crompton-Roberts Family'' * Newman, J., (2000) ''The Buildings of Wales: Gwent/Monmouthshire'',

External links

Drybridge House

Bridges community charity
{{Buildings in Monmouth Houses in Monmouth, Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire

History and architecture

See also

Notes

References

External links