Pentwyn, Rockfield,

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

is a Victorian

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

dating from the mid 19th century. Its origins are older but the present building was constructed by the Monmouth architect George Vaughan Maddox for himself in 1834–1837, and subsequently altered by him after a later sale. It was partly converted into apartments for letting in the 20th century before reverting to use as a family house. The house is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

History

The Monmouthshire historian Sir Joseph Bradney, in the ''Hundred of Skenfrith'' volume of his '' A History of Monmouthshire from the Coming of the Normans into Wales down to the Present Time'', records that the property was originally owned by the Vaughan family of Llanrothal. In 1834, James Vaughan left the house to his nephew George Vaughan Maddox. Maddox, from a family of architects, had a significant practice in Monmouthshire and his works in

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

gave the county town, "its particular architectural flavour". Maddox certainly undertook works at Pentwyn on his own behalf, and Bradney suggests he designed further improvements after selling the property to the Reverend Canon John Harding in 1864. However, Maddox died in that year and

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 ...

considers that most of the improvements and extensions to the house predate the sale. In the 20th century, the villa was converted into apartments. It is currently for sale. The gardens surrounding the house were mapped in the

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

's Monmouthshire maps of the very early 20th century. These show scenic paths and a carriage drive, a

kitchen garden The traditional kitchen garden, vegetable garden, also known as a potager (from the French ) or in Scotland a kailyaird, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden – the ornamental plants and lawn areas. It is used for grow ...

, a conservatory and two areas of flat ground which were probably the sites for a tennis court and a

croquet Croquet ( or ) is a sport which involves hitting wooden, plastic, or composite balls with a mallet through hoops (often called Wicket, "wickets" in the United States) embedded in a grass playing court. Variations In all forms of croquet, in ...

lawn.

Architecture and description

The architectural historian John Newman describes the house as " Tudoresque" in style. Cadw prefers a description of Georgian Gothick. The house is of two storeys, with large attics above, and is rendered in

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

. The roofline has elaborate

bargeboard A bargeboard or rake fascia is a board fastened to each projecting gable of a roof to give it strength and protection, and to conceal the otherwise exposed end grain of the horizontal timbers or purlins of the roof. The word ''bargeboard'' is pr ...

s and

pinnacle A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was main ...

s. The interiors, which contain many original features, are similarly Gothick in design, with the exception of a large dining room dating from circa 1900 which Cadw describes as designed and decorated in an

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

taste. The building is

, on account of its architectural interest and its historic connections with George Vaughan Maddox.

References

Sources

* * {{Cite book , last=Newman, first=John , author-link=John Newman (architectural historian) , title=Gwent/Monmouthshire , series= The Buildings of Wales , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knRf4U60QjcC&dq=The+Buildings+of+Wales%3A+Gwent%2FMonmouthshire&pg=PA2 , year=2000 , publisher=

Penguin Books Penguin Books Limited is a Germany, German-owned English publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers the Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the ...

, location=London , isbn=978-0-140-71053-3 Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire Country houses in Wales