Llanvihangel Court
| Project | Grade 1 Listed Stable Block |
|---|---|
| Project Architect | Garner Southall Partnership, Llandrindod Wells |
| Contract Value | 140K |
| Project Date | Spring 2017 |
Llanvihangel Court is a late medieval gem with origins in the late 15th century. The house was first mentioned in historical records during the reign of Henry VI (1422–1471), when Thomas, the second son of John ap Gwillim Jenkin of Wernddu, was Lord of the Manor.
In 1627, the Court was purchased by Nicholas Arnold, the MP for Monmouthshire. Well known as a breeder of horses and notorious for his ruthless persecution of local recusants, it was he who built the stables at Llanvihangel Court. These were described by C.J.O. Evans in his history of Monmouthshire as “a great rarity dating from 1630–40 and largely unaltered.”
Listed as a Grade I building in its own right, the stable block required an approach that was both sensitive and carefully managed. Although most of the movement was thought to be historic, the roof structure and south gable masonry walls were listing in several directions.
We started by strutting and propping the walls, with a large structural scaffold buttress supporting the south gable wall, before carefully stripping the roof coverings. Mid-Wales structural engineer Bob Davies drew up a package of structural works, which included the rebuilding of the historic oak hip structure, thought to have partially collapsed in the 1960s. Concealed steel brackets, plates, and Cintec anchors were used to stabilise the existing structure. Lime pointing and areas of Tudor brickwork and masonry were repaired.
Once the roof structure was rebuilt, a mix of Welsh slate and existing stone tiles was used to recover the roof slopes, in compliance with recommendations from Cadw. The oak floor structure was repaired, and the entire first floor was re-boarded with locally sourced larch floorboards.
The 16th-century windows were carefully overhauled with precise oak splice repairs, along with minor glazing repairs to the lead-came windows. Unfortunately, due to the increased costs of additional structural repairs to the fabric of the building, the full replacement of the missing stable stalls in the west stable area was not possible. However, we were able to carry out sympathetic repairs to the existing stalls in the east stable, ensuring that at least one set of stalls remains complete as an example of the fine detail that characterised the original structure.
The job was completed with a coating of distemper and lime wash applied to the internal walls.
