Royal George House in

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

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 ...

, is a large

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 of . Its architectural style is "old-fashioned" for its date, drawing on Carolean models such as

Tredegar House Tredegar House (Welsh: ''Tŷ Tredegar'') is a 17th-century Charles II-era mansion on the southwestern edge of Newport, Wales. For over five hundred years it was home to the Morgan family, later Lords Tredegar; one of the most powerful and influe ...

. Built as a private residence, in 1800 it was occupied by the commander of the Monmouthshire Militia. In the 19th and 20th centuries the building was a hotel, first the ''Ivy Bank'' and then the ''Royal George''. By the 1980s, it was empty and derelict. Restored, and significantly altered internally, in 1985–1987, it was subsequently a nursing home, and as of 2017 it houses commercial offices and residential apartments. It is a Grade II* listed building.

History

The house is early 18th century in date with an historical attribution to 1730. Constructed as a residential townhouse, it was owned in 1800 by the commander of the Monmouthshire Militia. The commander undertook significant remodelling of the house. Later in the century, the house became a hotel, first the ''Ivy Bank'' and then the ''Royal George''. It was designated a Grade II* listed building on 27 June 1952. In the 20th century, the hotel closed and the building suffered significant neglect. It was restored 1985–1987, and was used firstly as a nursing home and then as commercial offices and residential apartments. The building’s roof was severely damaged by fire during renovation work in 2021 and is undergoing restoration.

Description

The building is of three storeys, with seven bays under a hipped roof, and was constructed "probably in the 1730s." The building's

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...

was originally

roughcast Roughcast or pebbledash is a coarse plaster surface used on outside walls that consists of lime and sometimes cement mixed with sand, small gravel and often pebbles or shells. The materials are mixed into a slurry and are then thrown at the wor ...

to imitate masonry and has a

modillion A modillion is an ornate bracket, more horizontal in shape and less imposing than a corbel. They are often seen underneath a cornice which it helps to support. Modillions are more elaborate than dentils (literally translated as small teeth). All ...

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

. Designed in a Carolean style, it was out of date for its time. The architectural historian John Newman, describes the building as "one of the town's finest 18th century houses." The Monmouth historian Keith Kissack noted its Neoclassical interiors of about 1800, introduced when the commander of the Monmouthshire Militia remodelled the house. The renovations were external, as well as internal, Newman comments on the "

Adamesque The Adam style (or Adamesque and "Style of the Brothers Adam") is an 18th-century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practised by Scottish architect William Adam and his sons, of whom Robert (1728–1792) and James (173 ...

Corinthian

capitals Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

and

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 ...

frieze."

Notes

References

* *

External links

* {{Buildings in Monmouth History of Monmouth, Wales Buildings and structures in Monmouth, Wales Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire