Monaughty House

Monaughty House

This is a substantial two-storey house with attic rooms in the roof space and two cellars beneath, built of rubble stone with partial freestone dressings. The slate roofs are being renewed with stone tiles as of 1991. The building follows a U-shaped plan with a central hall block and two wings projecting eastward. A large lateral projection containing combined stack and stair occupies the west side, while the north wing has a combined stair and garderobe projection. A three-storey gabled stair turret with timber-framed upper storey was added in the south-east angle, and a narrow latrine chute runs down the south wing, flushed from wooden guttering. Four projecting rubble stacks with distinctive vertical freestone bands—two to each wing—mark the chimneys. Large sections of masonry have been rebuilt, principally in the late 19th century, during major works in the 1950s by Deacons of Kington, and again in the late 1970s and early 1980s by Douglas Blain. In the mid-1980s, a two-storey stone oriel with flat roof was reconstructed on the east front based on evidence from footings and internal joinery.

Windows throughout feature stone mullions and transoms, hollow chamfered externally and reverse chamfered internally. Some retain drip moulds, though the original disposition and size of windows is unclear as most have been rebuilt or replaced. Windows inserted during the 1950s works are of different size and proportions, cut from darker red sandstone. Timber ovolo-section mullion windows in the corner stair and latrine projections have very small square openings, some with ogee heads.

Three 16th-century doorways of dressed stone feature four-centred arches, moulded jambs and quatrefoil and armorial ornamental spandrels. The doorway opening into the east end of the cross passage is the most elaborately moulded and best preserved; the other two—at the west end of the cross passage and to the kitchen in the south wing—have been crudely rebuilt. A late 19th-century boarded door is set into the inner wall of each wing, the house having been divided into two dwellings in the 19th century. Above the east door is the outline of a blocked doorway that once gave access to a storied porch. Three carved stone plaques appear on the east elevation, though none can be presumed to be in their original position. A plain date stone reading "J P 1638" now in the corner stair turret was placed there by D Blain after removal from the wall section infilling the former oriel window opening. Above the main door is a stone incorporating the Price arms within a cusped quatrefoil, and set in the rebuilt oriel is a further armorial stone, probably 19th-century in date.

The original plan as modified in the 17th century survives: a central range of hall and cross passage with first-floor Great Chamber, a north wing with two main rooms on each floor, and a south wing containing parlour, original kitchen, pantry and buttery, with two large guest rooms on the first floor either side of a small chamber with garderobe.

The hall features four main transverse beams with axial beams dividing the ceiling into fifteen compartments with counterchanged joists; the beams and the bressumers along the side walls and over the passage partition are all deep chamfered with no stops. A lateral fireplace to the hall has a flat four-centred arch, cavetto and ogee moulded jambs and decorative spandrels. Fragments of decorative wall plaster display the Royal Coat of Arms of Queen Elizabeth I and those of the Sydney family, patrons of the Prices. Half spiral stairs of stone rubble risers over timber baulks lead off to the side of the fireplace. The three main rooms on the ground floor have a cross arrangement of two deep chamfered beams and small stone lintel fireplaces. Fragments of a moulded plaster cornice edging the ceiling compartments survive in the two end rooms of the wings; the north wing end room beam has straight cut stops. The former kitchen and scullery each have a single chamfered beam with stepped run-out stops. The kitchen possesses a large open fireplace with chamfered elliptical arch. The pantry is entered from the kitchen and houses stone steps to one of the cellars; the other cellar lies beneath the buttery.

A panelled screen with heavily roll-moulded stiles and door frames divides the cross passage from the hall. Two entrances, formerly with triangular heads and carved spandrels including the Price arms and a Tudor rose, pierce this screen. The upper panels are missing but were said to have had boss and strapwork decoration. A chamfered plank and muntin partition closes the lower end of the passage, with two round-headed doorways, that to the south wing rooms being considerably higher than the entrance to the former buttery. Further plank and muntin partitions occupy the ground floor of the south wing, the upper part of the pantry partition being set with spaced diamond-section uprights for ventilation.

The north wing is served by a turret staircase housing a curious arrangement of stone and timber winder stairs set around garderobes on three levels; the timber partitions of the latter were renewed in the 1980s. The south wing contains a fine open-well stair of probable 1638 date with heavy moulded handrail, closed string, turned balusters, ornamental newel caps and pendants, reconstructed in 1955. The insertion of this stair entailed cutting through a main truss, leading to distortion of timber partitions and failure of ceiling joists. A supporting beam probably inserted at the same time as the stair has a narrow chamfer and scroll stop.

On the first floor, the Great Chamber displays a fine plaster ceiling in geometric pattern of moulded ribs and deep moulded cornice, largely restored on renewed lathing in the 1980s. The plasterwork continues into the oriel with similar but smaller section mouldings. First-floor partitions are mainly square-framed, though the south wing includes some plank and muntin head-height screens. Above one screen dividing a small chamber is an internal diamond-mullion window. The west room in the north wing has square panelled wainscotting and a door accessing a garderobe set within the winder stair turret.

The roof comprises largely original collar and tie beam trusses with queen posts, raking braces and both trenched and butt purlins. The trusses of the wings are 18 inches higher than those of the central block. Internal doors include some boarded doors hung on gudgeon pins, one 17th-century door with scribed mouldings, and early panelled doors, all with original doorframes featuring mason mitres.