Tal-y-coed Court,,
Llanvihangel-Ystern-Llewern,
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, wit ...
, Wales, is a
Victorian country house
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peop ...
. Constructed in 1881–1883, it was built for the Monmouthshire antiquarian
Joseph Bradney
Colonel Sir Joseph Alfred Bradney, (11 January 1859 – 21 July 1933) was a British soldier, historian and archaeologist, best known for his multivolume ''A History of Monmouthshire from the Coming of the Normans into Wales down to the Present T ...
, author of ''
A History of Monmouthshire from the Coming of the Normans into Wales down to the Present Time''. A
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 Ir ...
, the house is a "fine historicist essay in the
Queen Anne Style, one of the earliest examples in Wales." Its gardens and park are designated Grade II on the
.
History
Colonel Sir Joseph Alfred Bradney, FSA, BA, JP, DL was a soldier who acquired the estate at Tal-y-Coed through purchase and inheritance. In 1881, aged 22, he commissioned
F. R. Kempson to build the house on the site of Llanvihangel Hall, which had been part of the estate of
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 Susanna ...
. The house cost £10,000, reflecting Bradney's status as
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 ...
.
The court, and its stables, are now sub-divided into a number of private residences. The stables and clock tower are designated
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 I ...
, as is the lodge at the entrance to the court. A project is underway (2019) to restore an elaborate
horse trough constructed for Bradney on the road from Llantilio Crossenny to Monmouth. The trough also has a Grade II listing. The court's parkland is recorded as a "small late 19th century park and terraced garden".
Description
The house is in a
Queen Anne style, which John Newman describes as "not at all what one would expect in South Wales at that date." It is constructed of red brick with ashlar dressings and a brick plinth. Of five bays, it has a large, hipped roof with "lofty dormer windows and high chimneystacks." The interior is "virtually intact and (...) of exceptionally high quality". The gardens and park, laid out by Bradney in the late 19th century, are designated Grade II on the
.
Notes
Sources
* {{cite book
, last = Newman
, first = John
, year = 1995
, series = The Buildings of Wales
, title = Gwent/Monmouthshire
, url = https://books.google.com/books?id=knRf4U60QjcC&q=Gwent%2FMonmouthshire+Newman
, publisher = Penguin
, location= London, UK
, isbn = 0-14-071053-1
, ref = {{sfnRef, Newman
History of Monmouthshire
Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire
Registered historic parks and gardens in Monmouthshire
Country houses in Wales
Country houses in Monmouthshire
Queen Anne Revival architecture in the United Kingdom