Garn

The Garn

An elegant medium-sized country house, primarily in early Georgian classical style, though incorporating 17th-century and late Victorian elements. The construction is of limestone rubble with squared limestone facings to the north-east (garden) front and a fine red brick entrance facade, with sandstone dressings throughout. The roofs are hipped and slated, with brick chimneys.

Main Entrance Facade

The principal facade, built in 1738–9, is symmetrical and of two storeys. It comprises seven bays arranged in a 2-3-2 rhythm, with the end bays and central three bays defined by giant pilasters. A central moulded pediment contains a blind oculus. The windows are plain sashes (glazing bars now lost), with the middle three set at closer spacing than those in the outer bays. Windows feature fluted keystones and aprons, the third and fifth being semi-circular and scalloped. The tall central entrance is approached by two segmental stone steps. The doorway has a shouldered architrave, pulvinated frieze and strong segmental pediment, with a door of eight fielded panels and a two-pane overlight. A brick parapet sits above a moulded cornice.

North-East (Garden) Elevation

This elevation dates to the late 17th century and has a low-walled terrace in front with central stepped access added in the 19th century. The arrangement is symmetrical with two-and-a-half storeys: five-bay ground and first floors, and three hipped attic dormers, the outer ones being larger. The central entrance has a rusticated sandstone surround and eight-panel fielded door with two-pane overlight. Sash windows match those on the main facade, with sandstone keystones to the upper windows and pilasters at the ends. The two right-hand ground floor windows are early 19th-century enlargements.

Stepping down and adjoining this elevation to the right is a two-storey early 19th-century addition with two tall two-pane late Victorian sashes to the first floor, an eight-pane modern window to the ground floor at left, and a 12-pane early 19th-century sash to its right.

Adjoining this addition to the right is a glazed conservatory link-block, the left-hand section of which is double the height of the right-hand part. This leads to an adjoining hipped-roofed former billiard room, with a further adjoining L-shaped storeyed cottage extension beyond, all dating to the late 19th century. The billiard room has two tall two-pane sashes to the garden side, and the cottage section has three four-pane sashes—two to the upper floor and one to the ground floor. The rear of this range is rendered and has an entrance with an open lean-to porch to the south-east return. A 20th-century single-storey slated and rendered addition adjoins to the north-east.

Rear Elevation

The rear of the main house is asymmetrical with two projecting wings of rubble. The larger hipped-roofed wing (to the left) forms the end wall of the early 19th-century addition to the garden facade. It has a tall brick end chimney and large blocked openings to the first floor, with two- and three-light segmental windows to the ground floor. The right-hand wing is gabled and has two two-pane late Victorian sashes to the first floor and one to the ground floor. Between the upper windows is an inset 18th-century plaque with the incised initials EFG and the date 1643.

Victorian Wing

Adjoining the main front to the left is a two-storey Victorian wing. This has a red brick facade with terracotta detailing arranged in four bays, with those to the left advanced in a square projection. Sashes match the 18th-century work, with aprons and keystones in imitation. Behind the projection is a Wrenaissance voluted pediment. To the rear is a square tower with conical roof and weather-vane. The rear elevation of this wing is of rubble and has an advanced hipped-roofed section projecting outwards and partly overlapping the dated (1643) wing, this with a mounted bell. Sashes match those elsewhere, and there is an entrance with hipped pentise. The side elevation of this wing is slate-hung and has a canted single-storey bay to the ground floor with 12-pane sashes to each face.

Interior: Entrance Hall

The entrance hall has a counter-changed flagged floor of black and sandstone sets and large-field oak dado panelling with ribbed plasterwork forming large panels above. Doorways to left and right at the front (to dining room and oak parlour respectively) and at the rear of the hall. The former have oak moulded architraves and fielded six-panel doors, deeply recessed with fielded panelled reveals. The front-facing windows have panelled reveals, shutters and window seats. The ceiling is divided laterally into three compartments and is richly and very extensively decorated with original plasterwork of unusual kind, combining conventional egg-and-dart and other motifs with rustic though delicately worked tendrils, scrollwork and hearts.

The doorways at the far end of the hall are in the form of arches with panelled reveals as before. That to the right gives onto a passage leading to the garden entrance, which has a similar flagged floor and panelling and cornice plasterwork with foliated corner enrichments, and a Victorian part-glazed screen door. The left-hand arch leads to a service passage via panelled double doors.

Oak Parlour

The oak parlour (right of the entrance) has fine late 17th-century large-field oak panelling with moulded dado rail and cornice and raised and fielded panels. A grey figured marble fireplace has a basket arch and fielded keystone, flanked by doors—that to the right leading to the garden passage and that to the left opening onto a semi-circular arched cupboard niche. This niche has a finely fluted soffit and three shelves above a cupboard, the shelves with shaped fronts. The ceiling has a large oval centrepiece of decorative plasterwork with egg-and-dart motifs and ribbed spandrel panels. Foliate embellishments to the centre and margins appear to be additions to the late Stuart plasterwork, carried out as part of the post-fire remodelling circa 1739.

Dining Room

The present dining room (left of the main entrance) was formerly divided into a roughly square room with a narrow closet room beyond. These were knocked into one probably circa 1889 during the Victorian alterations, at which time a buffet niche was created at the far end. Both sections retain their 18th-century plasterwork cornices with egg-and-dart and foliate boss decoration, as well as applied relief heads. The ceiling has ribbed panels with enriched corners and central bosses. A bolection-moulded sandstone fireplace (recently widened) has a basket arch. Above this are the Griffith arms in relief plasterwork within a foliated frame, including the initials JMG and the date 1739. The room has dado panelling as before and in the right corner a large niche with glazed doors above a cupboard, featuring fluted pilasters with Ionic volutes and a moulded archivolt with surmounting three-bay open arcade.

Kitchen

The kitchen is very unusual in that, whilst clearly intended as a kitchen from the first, it nevertheless has decorative plasterwork similar to that found elsewhere in the polite rooms. Above the conventional triple-arched fireplace arrangement appear the initials IGM and the date 1739. It is possible that the room was intended to double up as a kind of servants' hall. In one corner is a wooden cornice with wavy decoration belonging to a former built-in L-shaped dresser, removed some forty years ago.

Principal Staircase

The staircase is a very fine wide oak dogleg type with fluted balusters and moulded and swept-up rail. It has oak panelled dado with fluted pilasters at intervals and a returned first-floor gallery. Fine plasterwork decorates the ceiling as before, with ribbed framing to the wall spaces.

First-Floor Drawing Room

Leading off the landing is a large early 19th-century first-floor drawing room. This has fine egg-and-dart and honeysuckle cornice plasterwork and a fine foliate ceiling rose. A good carved wooden Adam chimneypiece has a grey and white marble surround with Ionic pilasters and swagged frieze with muse figures in relief and a central panel depicting the Rape of the Sabines. Two large contemporary gilt pier glasses survive.

Other First-Floor Rooms

The chamber above the oak parlour has (painted) large-field panelling with reveals, shutters and window seats, and simple decorative plasterwork cornicing as before. One room has fielded panelling and an apsidal recess with waisted couch head.

Secondary Staircase

Leading from the service passage is an early 18th-century secondary stair. This is full-height and of dogleg type, in oak with turned balusters. It has a broad wooden construction with dado and slender turned and fluted balusters.

Historical Context

The irregular rear elevation retains fabric from before the fire of 1737, including a tablet dated 1643. The coat of arms dated 1739 bears the initials JGM for John and Mary Griffiths.