Brynarlais

Brynarlais is a substantial house dating from the 18th century, with significant alterations and additions in approximately 1890. The house is constructed of rusticated stone with yellow brick dressings, including quoins, architraves, a string course, and an eaves cornice. It has slate roofs with yellow brick stacks, including hipped roofs with chimneys comprising grouped shafts and projecting caps.

The original house presents a three-bay symmetrical elevation facing south, and a two-bay return elevation to Temple Street. A hipped-roofed wing was added behind the main block around 1890, featuring a two-storeyed wing with a canted front to the street, an entrance porch, and a narrow bay alongside it, forming an angle with the original main block. To the rear is a glass-roofed arcade, enclosing three sides of a square, representing the remains of a conservatory added in 1894. The original south-facing front has a central entrance with a four-centred arch leading to a recessed porch. A four-panelled door with an overlight is within the porch. Flanking the entrance are canted bay windows with chamfered brick surrounds to the sash windows. Four-pane sash windows are located on the first floor, with a tall, triple-tiered sash window centrally positioned. The return front to Temple Street features two four-pane sash windows on each floor, with a canted bay window added as part of the circa 1890 alterations.

The circa 1890 extensions include a prominent two-storey canted bay to the left, with paired four-pane sash windows with chamfered brick surrounds, and a high parapet with a curved profile that sweeps down over a narrower additional bay to the rear of the entrance. The porch of this extension has a muscular gothic architrave, with columns featuring strong bases and capitals and a stilted arched head. Immediately to the right of the entrance is a squared bay with a tripartite sash window on the ground floor, capped with ironwork, and a four-paned sash window above.

At the rear, the glass-roofed arcade, remnants of the 1894 conservatory, has a rear “grotto” wall of water-worn limestone, cast-iron columns to the front, and a tiled floor.

The interior retains high-quality details, with good joinery throughout, particularly doors and architraves. A fine staircase dating from around 1890 features ironwork balusters and a swept rail leading to a galleried upper landing. An ornate plaster ceiling is in the principal ground floor room, which also displays elaborate architraves to the windows, incorporating stained glass armorial panels. Further stained glass is present in the porch, front door, circa 1890 Temple Street windows, and the rear stair window.