Gwy House (Chepstow Museum)

Gwy House, also known as Chepstow Museum, is a small town mansion dating back to the 19th century. The building features painted roughcast walls with ashlar dressings and a slate roof that is set behind a parapet with stone coping. It has rendered stacks topped with decorative chimney pots. The structure is two storeys high and presents a five-window range of recessed wood frame double casements, each with hinged transom lights. The central three-window bay projects slightly and is topped with a pediment that has a deeply moulded stone cornice.

On the ground floor, there is a central projecting semi-circular portico supported by four pairs of Roman Doric columns, featuring a triglyph frieze, moulded cornice, blocking course, and plain pilasters on the wall. Semi-circular stone steps lead up to a square-headed doorway that includes side-lights and double half-glazed and leaded doors adorned with decorative coloured glass showcasing floral motifs. There are two similar casement windows on each side of the portico. The building has a stone plinth and a platband at the first-floor level, with these elements continuing along the side elevations.

The uphill side elevation features a semi-circular ground floor bay window made up of multipane lights with margin glazing, topped by a deep entablature with a fluted surround. The downhill side elevation has a corbelled out first-floor bay window.

Although converted into a museum, Gwy House retains its original layout. The doorway has an inner basket-arch and shutters on the side lights. Inside, there is a bow-sided vestibule, with basket-arches leading to a rectangular lobby and staircase hall, all featuring a black and white terrazzo floor. The plasterwork includes mouldings such as cornices and friezes with acanthus, palmette, and key pattern motifs. The doorcases have fluted architraves that incorporate rosettes, and there are six-panelled doors with panelled reveals.

The bow-backed stairwell features a cantilevered stone staircase with open decorative shallow treads, a wreathed and ramped polished wood handrail, and slender iron balusters, with every third baluster embellished with scrolls and leaf motifs. The staircase is illuminated from above by a central oval panelled domed rooflight.