Ffynone House
| Ffynone | |
|---|---|
Ffynnonau | |
 Ffynone in 2004 | |
  Ffynone Ffynone withinWales. | |
| General information | |
| Location | Manordeifi |
| Town or city | Boncath |
| Country | Wales |
| Coordinates | 52°01′04″N04°34′0″W/ 52.01778°N 4.56667°W |
| Elevation | 120m |
| Completed | 1799 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | John Nash |
Ffynone(Welsh:Ffynnonau) is a mansion and estate nearBoncath,Pembrokeshire,Wales,in the parish ofManordeifi.The originalGeorgiandesign was by thearchitectJohn Nash,and the house was later remodelled byInigo Thomas.It is aGrade I listed building,and its gardens and park are also listed, at Grade I, on theCadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.
History
[edit]
The name predates the present house, and its Welsh nameFfynnonau,meaning "Wells", reflects the existence of a number ofspringsin the vicinity.[1]
In 1752 Captain Stephen Colby bought the Ffynone estate from the Morgan family of Blaenbwlan. The house, completed in 1799, was repaired in 1828 by W. Hoare and Son of Lawrenny. In the 1830s, the estate extended to 237 acres in theManordeifiparish, with further land in adjacent parishes. The parkland around the house was some thirty acres. There were many additions and improvements over the following years to both the house and the estate.[1]
The property was passed down in the Colby family to John Vaughan Colby, whose wife in 1902 commissioned the architect and garden designerInigo Thomasto remodel the house and lay out the terraced gardens, work which was completed in 1907.[2]
John Vaughan Colby died in 1919. He had no son and left the estate to his daughter Aline Margaret, who had married Captain Cecil John Herbert Spence-Jones, son of the Dean of Gloucester, in 1908; the marriage was a notable occasion, reported in great detail, an occasion for local celebration, despite there being no guests at the wedding and no reception, owing to the bride's mother's state of health.[3]Spence-Jones took the additional surname of Colby by royal licence in 1920. In 1927, the property was sold to a Glamorgan business man.[4]
The house, in 20 acres (8.1 ha) of woodland, was bought and restored from 1988 onwards byOwen Lloyd George, 3rd Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyforand his wife, who are credited with saving the house.[5]After the death of the 3rd Earl in 2010, the house was put up for sale with a guide price of £2.5 million.[5]The asking price for the house and 34 acres (14 ha) was reduced in July 2021 to £1.8 million and the property was subsequently sold for an undisclosed sum.[6]
The estate records (to 1919) are held at theNational Library of Wales.[4]
Architecture
[edit]John Nashwas commissioned to design the house in the early 1790s; construction work began in 1794 and was completed by 1799. Materials included locally quarried stone as well as stone from other parts of Britain. The house was laid out to a classical Georgian plan. 60,000 trees were sourced from John Mackie, a Norwich nursery man, and hundreds of tons of topsoil were brought in.[1]Inigo Thomas,in contrast, remodelled the house in the style of an Italianpalazzo.He added the east and west wings, creating a library and an ornate dining room and music room with a cross vaulted tunnel roof.[5]
Listing designations
[edit]In January 1952, the house was designated as a Grade Ilisted building.[2][7]Other buildings on the wider estate were listed in November 1994. The service range, comprising stables and a kitchen court, is listed at Grade I.[8][9]Other ancillary buildings are listed at Grade II including thegame larder,[10][11]and a large outbuilding.[12][13]The entrance gates andgatepiersto the estate piers and the piers, steps and walls in the North Court are all listed at Grade II.[14][15][16][17]
The gardens and parkland at Ffynone are designated Grade I on theCadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.[18]Structures within the gardens with listings include: the terrace to the south of the house, together with its enclosing walls andbalustrades,which are listed at Grade II*;[19][20]and asundialon the west lawn;[21][22]the Western Terrace;[23][24]a fountain;[25][26]and agazebo,all of which are listed Grade II.[27][28]
References
[edit]- ^abc"Coflein: Ffynone".Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2014.Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^ab"British Listed Buildings: Ffynone, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^"Marriage of Capt. Cecil Spence-Jones".Gloucester Journal.British Newspaper Archive.20 June 1908.Retrieved5 August2014.
- ^ab"National Library of Wales-Ffynone Estate Records".Archives Wales. Archived fromthe originalon 23 May 2012.Retrieved12 July2013.
- ^abc"Million pound houses for sale in Pembrokeshire and Rutland".Country Life.30 June 2011.Retrieved13 April2016.
- ^"Ffynone".Savills.Retrieved11 October2021.
- ^Cadw."Ffynone (Grade I) (11980)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.
- ^"British Listed Buildings: Stable and Kitchen Court, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."Stable and Kitchen Court, Ffynnonau (Grade I) (15122)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.
- ^"British Listed Buildings: Game-Larder to N of Service Ranges at Ffynone, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."Game-Larder to N of Service Ranges at Ffynone (Grade II) (15127)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.
- ^"British Listed Buildings: Large Arched Outbuilding on Nw Side of Ffynone Farmyard, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."Large Arched Outbuilding on NW Side of Ffynone Farmyard (Grade II) (15130)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.
- ^"British Listed Buildings:Entrance Gates and Piers to Ffynone, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."Entrance Gates and Piers to Ffynone (Grade II) (15129)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.
- ^"British Listed Buildings: Gatepiers, Steps and Walls to N Court at Ffynone, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."Gatepiers, Steps and Walls to N Court at Ffynone (Grade II) (15124)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.
- ^Cadw."Ffynone (PGW(Dy)18(PEM))".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved6 February2023.
- ^"British Listed Buildings: Terrace, Walls and Balustrades S of Ffynone, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."Terrace, Walls and Balustrades S of Ffynone (Grade II*) (15123)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.
- ^"British Listed Buildings: Sundial on W Lawn at Ffynone, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."Sundial on W Lawn at Ffynone (Grade II) (15126)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.;
- ^"British Listed Buildings: Terrace Wall and Balustrade to W Garden at Ffynone, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."Terrace Wall and Balustrade to W Garden at Ffynone (Grade II) (15125)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.
- ^"British Listed Buildings: Garden Fountain N of Walled Garden at Ffynone, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."Garden Fountain N of Walled Garden at Ffynone (Grade II) (15128)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.
- ^"British Listed Buildings: The Gazebo, at the Garden House, Ffynone, Ffynnonau, Manordeifi".Retrieved25 March2016.
- ^Cadw."The Gazebo, at the Garden House, Ffynone (Grade II) (15131)".National Historic Assets of Wales.Retrieved10 February2020.