Foxhall Newydd

Ruins of a large, unfinished Renaissance house, forming the cruciform cross-wing of a proposed H-plan house. Of limestone construction with fine sandstone dressings; roofless. There is evidence for a large-aggregate, greyish textured render having been originally applied externally, with smooth, whitened plaster quoining at the corners and around windows, in the continental Renaissance manner. The building is of 3 storeys plus basement and attic floor and has moulded string courses between the floors. Mullioned and transmullioned windows, with full-height canted bays on the NW (garden-facing) side and the SW gable end (the latter collapsed). Short gabled wings and lateral chimney projections to the long sides.

Abutting the building to the SE are the ruins of an earlier, mid C16 former storeyed house; limestone construction. This has a (ruined) projecting, gabled end chimney to the NW with wide hall fireplace and smaller first-floor fireplace; dressed jamb stones. At the opposite end is evidence for a garderobe projection.

Wide kitchen and bakery fireplaces on the basement floor. The first floor has remains of plasterwork above and to the side of a fireplace in the NW projecting wing; this is in the form of Renaissance strapwork in relief, and consists of a frieze and an overmantel panel, the latter recorded as being dated 1608 (date not visible at the time of inspection). The plain wall surface below the plaster frieze implies an original wall treatment of three-quarter panelling, and it is probable that this area formed a bay within the Great Chamber. There are garderobes evident on the first and second floors, with a privy shaft visible at the northern corner. The fireplace to the NW first-floor chamber has a brick hearth, suggesting importation of (what was then in Wales) a new and little-known building material. Deep, vertical joist pockets, visible on the Great Chamber and Gallery floors, suggest that originally there were decorative plasterwork ceilings here.