Outbuilding range attached to NW of Treforgan

Outbuilding range attached to north-west of Treforgan

Treforgan is an early 19th-century country house in the classical Regency style, built for Evan Davies (died 1832) in the manner of John Nash. The house stands above the road, approached by a drive opposite the lane from Llangoedmor Church.

The building is documented as a farm in the 1815 Beauties of England and Wales, but by 1833 it was described as the seat of the late Evan Davies. The property passed to the Lewis-Lloyd family of Nantgwyllt in Radnorshire by marriage, and was rented to Maria Webly-Parry until 1858.

The exterior is constructed of whitewashed rubble stone with a square hipped slate roof with deep eaves. A large corniced brick stack dominates the centre, added in the 1930s. The main south and west facades are two-storey with three windows each, whilst a three-window service range extends to the east. Outbuildings are attached to the north-east.

The main fronts are distinguished by raised plinths, bands and brackets to the eaves. The south front features a circular rooflight, 12-pane sashes with cambered heads and stone voussoirs, and a recessed centre containing a window above a pair of Roman Doric timber columns with half-column responds and mutule cornice, tilted to shed rain. The recessed entry has a fanlight over double panelled doors with side lights and reeded mouldings.

The service range is set back to the right and has large brick stacks at each end, French windows above with iron flower balconies, 12-pane sashes below, and a blank centre section.

The west front has a centre 12-pane sash on each floor, with the ground floor dummy, and full-height bows on either side containing tripartite sashes with 1-12-4 panes, flat-headed with slim dividing columns and half-column responds. Side-lights on the upper floor are dummy. The rear north side comprises a plain 4-window range of 12-pane sashes and blank windows, with a north-west angle pier. The rear of the service range is an outshut with a three-window range of 12-pane sashes.

The north-east low outbuildings form an L-plan with a stack at the east end. The east front has two doors: a barn-entry and, at the angle, a tall door with overlight opening into stables. The return has a window and door into a tackroom.

Interior: The plan-form resembles Nash's 1792-4 designs for Ffynnone, Llanfaeron and Llysnewydd, though less coherent. A plaster-vaulted rectangular entry hall contains a glazed arch opening into a square inner hall. The inner hall has recessed arches on each side, then a similar plaster-vaulted space to the north serving north and north-west rooms. The inner hall features a quasi-dome with panelled spandrels curving into a flat circular ceiling with fine plaster rosette.

To the east is an apsidal stair hall containing a fine cantilever Bath stone staircase with plain iron balusters and ramped rail. Plaster mouldings appear under the landing and on the first floor, with lozenge borders and roses. Six-panel doors in Regency reeded surrounds have panelled shutters.

The south-west dining room features a large elliptical arched north alcove with acanthus cornice. The north-west drawing room has a carved marble fireplace with floral vases and an undercut cornice of entwining leaves with guilloche border. The former library to the north is plain and L-shaped, with a Regency fireplace. The south-east small study has a similar fireplace.

The square hall repeats on the first floor but with a flat ceiling pierced by a large circular hole into an odd conical vent through the roof space to the circular skylight. A rectangular space to the west with guilloche ceiling border provides access to the rooms, as only the north-west first-floor room has a regular shape. Moulded cornices and ceiling borders appear throughout.

The rear service wing has a spine corridor with narrow stairs off to the north.

Treforgan is one of a small group of remarkable Nash-inspired country houses in Dyfed which have survived in largely unaltered form.