Porth-y-carn, Porthycarne Street, Usk,

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

is an early 19th-century Neoclassical villa. Built c. 1834 for Thomas Reece, the agent of the "iron king",

Crawshay Bailey Crawshay Bailey (1789 – 9 January 1872) was an English industrialist who became one of the great iron-masters of Wales. Early life Bailey was born in 1789 in Great Wenham, Suffolk, the son of John Bailey, of Wakefield and his wife Susannah. ...

, it is a Grade II* listed building.

History

The architectural historian John Newman suggests a construction date of 1834-5. The client was Thomas Reece, who served as the agent for the industrialist

. Reece also served as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

, in 1845 serving on a committee of justices to enquire into allegations of misconduct against the governor of the Usk House of Correction. Reece died in 1853. In the year before his death, the house had the highest rateable value of any property in Usk. Porth-y-carn remains a private residence.

Architecture and description

The villa is of two storeys, the doorcase flanked by a

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

columned porch.

Cadw (, a Welsh verbal noun meaning "keeping/preserving") is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage s ...

suggests that the interior retains some of its 19th century fittings and furnishings.

Notes

References

* {{Cite book , last=Newman, first=John , author-link=John Newman (architectural historian) , series=The Buildings of Wales , title=Gwent/Monmouthshire , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knRf4U60QjcC&q=The+Buildings+of+Wales%3A+Gwent%2FMonmouthshire&pg=PA2 , year=2000 , publisher=Penguin , location=London , isbn=0-14-071053-1 Buildings and structures in Monmouthshire Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire Usk