Moynes Court, Nos 1 and 2

Moynes Court, Nos 1 and 2

This is a substantial three-storey and attic house of double depth, constructed from squared red sandstone rubble with some Bath stone dressings. Stone slates cover the front slope roof, with plain tiles on the rear. A central spine wall runs through the building, carrying the chimneys.

The main front elevation features three gables, with the central gable set forward to form a three-storey porch. The entrance door is of four studded planks with strap hinges, dated 1610. It has a flat head, a stop-chamfered surround and a dripmould. Above the door is an heraldic plaque bearing the coat of arms of Bishop Francis Godwin of Llandaff, dated 1609 to record his rebuilding of the house. The lower floors on either side of the porch each have two windows: the ground floor has 5-light mullion-and-transom windows, whilst the first floor has 3-light examples, all with dripmoulds, ovolo mullions, relieving arches and leaded light casements. The central gable has a 2-light window; the outer gables have 3-light windows of the same character. All gables have copings, and the front ones have finials. The chimneys are diamond set, with a central 2-flue stack and a 3-flue stack behind each gable, though only their very tops are visible from ground level at the front.

The rear elevation is less formally composed and has undergone alterations. It has two central four-storey gables that do not project, with the division between Nos 1 and 2 running roughly between them. To the left (No 1), a single bay gabled wing projects, possibly once the bakehouse, with a tall stack. This wing has a modern window on the ground floor and in the gable, with a 2-light stone mullioned window above. The left hand bay has two modern ground floor windows, a 2-light window above and a modern casement in an eaves gable. The taller central gable has a 4-light reproduction stone mullioned window on the ground floor, a 3-light window above, and two timber 2 + 2 casements in the gable. The right hand main gable (No 2) contains the staircase and features a modern lean-to porch on the ground floor, with a 3-light and a 2-light window above. At the right hand corner is a bay added around 1890 in ashlar on the garden side, fitted with timber ovolo mullioned windows with cross frames except on the ground floor of the garden elevation. A 3-light mullion-and-transom window in timber sits at the gable end of the original block, with 3-light stone windows above it. The timber windows are characteristic in style of Eric Francis's work at Mathern Palace, and this addition may have been designed by him. The north gable end was not examined.

The interiors of both parts retain period features, some of which are probably late 19th-century reproductions. The main Hall/Dining Room of No 1 has panelled doors with raised strap-work, ceiling beams and fireplaces in the Stuart manner. The Drawing Room fireplace of No 1 has a fireback dated 1649. Doorways throughout feature chamfered and moulded frames. Some early 18th-century 2-panel doors remain. The main staircase (No 2) rises in straight flights around a central solid core to the attic. The largest room is the Long Gallery in the attic, now divided by a partition wall, which spans seven bays—four to No 1 and three to No 2. These bays feature arch-braced collar beams, principal rafters and butt purlins in two tiers. A separate room sits above the porch with end gable windows and two small fireplaces with chamfered frames. No 1 has a small cellar.