Hafodunos
Encyclopedia
Hafodunos Hall is a Gothic revival house located near the village of Llangernyw
in Wales
. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, it was built between 1861 and 1866 for Henry Robertson Sandbach, replacing a house that had been built in 1674.
, flushwork
design and extensive stone dressings to windows and doors. The south east elevation known as the garden front is the most impressive side of the house, with the octagonal billiards room to the north east, the entrance front tower also on the north east elevation and the conservatories and service quarters to the south west.
who trained in Rome
. He was a close friend of the Sandbach family. There are also five more Gibson marble reliefs from the house, and a Nymph statue by R J Wyatt, which are now at the Walker Art Gallery
in Liverpool
.
, and built between 1861 and 1866 for Henry Robertson Sandbach, whose family had bought the estate in 1830. The new house was built to replace a much older hall which had been built in 1674. The site had been occupied since at least 1530 but the remains of both previous houses are untraceable.
The Sandbach family sold Hafodunos in the early 1930s.
After the Sandbach family sold Hafodunos during the early 1930s, has had different uses from being a private girls' school to an old people's home.
in 2005, detailing the history of the estate. Those remaining sculptures from the house were removed in 2005 and the property was put up for sale in April 2008 with a guide price of £500,000 - £750,000. At that time, the surviving features included a gate lodge (listed Grade II), a carriage drive, the ruins of the hall (listed Grade I), a keeper's cottage (listed Grade II), a games pavilion, a gymnasium/theatre, approximately 20 acres (8.1 ha) of fields, formal gardens (listed Grade II), woodland and a walled garden (listed Grade II).
As of November 2011 Linda Lamb
and Mark Baker
are working on a collection of songs based on the poems of Margaret Sandbach of Hafodunos which will be released as an album in 2012. This will also be accompanied by a book based on Sandbach's life.
Llangernyw
Llangernyw is a rural, mostly Welsh-speaking, village in Conwy County Borough, north Wales. The population was 960 in 2001, 67% Welsh-speaking...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, it was built between 1861 and 1866 for Henry Robertson Sandbach, replacing a house that had been built in 1674.
Architectural Design
Hafodunos is a Venetian-inspired Gothic style house, which has two storeys with and an attic. The materials used to build the house are a soft red brick with a diaperDiapering
Diaper is any of a wide range of decorative patterns used in a variety of works of art, such as stained glass, heraldic shields, architecture, silverwork etc. Its chief use is in the enlivening of plain surfaces.-Etymology:...
, flushwork
Flushwork
-Description:In architecture, flushwork is the decorative combination on the same flat plane of flint and ashlar stone. It is characteristic of the external walls of medieval buildings, most of the survivors being churches, in parts of Southern England, but especially East Anglia...
design and extensive stone dressings to windows and doors. The south east elevation known as the garden front is the most impressive side of the house, with the octagonal billiards room to the north east, the entrance front tower also on the north east elevation and the conservatories and service quarters to the south west.
Interior
The Interior of the hall was as lavish as the exterior. The most notable features are a series of plaster bas-reliefs designed by John Gibson and Thorwaldsen, an international sculptor from ConwayConway
-Surname:* Alan Conway, impersonator of Stanley Kubrick* Albert Conway , Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals * Anne Conway, Viscountess Conway , English philosopher* Arthur Conway , any of several men...
who trained in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He was a close friend of the Sandbach family. There are also five more Gibson marble reliefs from the house, and a Nymph statue by R J Wyatt, which are now at the Walker Art Gallery
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England, outside of London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group, and is promoted as "the National Gallery of the North" because it is not a local or regional gallery but is part...
in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
The Sandbach Family
Hafodunos Hall was designed in a Gothic revival style by Sir George Gilbert ScottGeorge Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
, and built between 1861 and 1866 for Henry Robertson Sandbach, whose family had bought the estate in 1830. The new house was built to replace a much older hall which had been built in 1674. The site had been occupied since at least 1530 but the remains of both previous houses are untraceable.
The Sandbach family sold Hafodunos in the early 1930s.
George Gilbert Scott
Scott is well known for being one of the most important of the Gothic Revival architects of his time, especially for the Gothic style in domestic architecture. Hafodunos is the only example of his country house style in Wales and the second domestic structure that was built by Scott, the first being Kelham Hall in Nottinghamshire. One of his sons, John Oldrid Scott, who was also an architect, was later employed in 1883 to design the elaborate conservatories.After the Sandbach family sold Hafodunos during the early 1930s, has had different uses from being a private girls' school to an old people's home.
Girls School
The hall was requisitioned in the early 1940s by the Dinorben School for Girls, allowing its pupils to escape the effects of World War II. The gymnasium/theatre and games pavilion were added to the grounds during the school years to extend the facilities. The school closed in 1969 and then became an accountancy college in the 1970s. It was subsequently owned by Caer Rhun Hall.Nursing Home
After the school shut down, Hafodunos Hall was converted into a residential home for the elderly. This saw the addition of a lift to the main corridor in the house. The residential home shut down in 1993 for failing to meet required standards and no suitable long term use was found.Decline
The building then fell victim to dry rot which had spread rapidly through the servant’s quarters into the main house. In 1998 Conwy Council were contemplating serving an Urgents Works Notice, however the owner had died leaving the estate in debt. Hafodunos was put on the market again and was eventually bought in 2001 by a developer from Colwyn Bay. During the late spring of 2004 he unveiled plans for hotel and Caravan Park.The Great Fire
On the night of 13 October 2004, Hafodunos Hall was the subject of a devastating fire which gutted the main block of the house. The conservatories and service wing were saved from the fire and remained virtually untouched. Along with forty other historic sites in Wales, the property was featured on the ITV Wales television channel, and identified as at risk from vandalism, damage and neglect. Two young men from North Wales were sentenced for the arson attack on the Hall.Unwanted
After the fire Hafodunos and gardens fell into neglect. A book, entitled Hafodunos: Triumph of the Martyr was published by Mark BakerMark Baker
Mark Baker may refer to:*Mark Baker , British animator*Mark Allen Baker , American author and historian*Mark M...
in 2005, detailing the history of the estate. Those remaining sculptures from the house were removed in 2005 and the property was put up for sale in April 2008 with a guide price of £500,000 - £750,000. At that time, the surviving features included a gate lodge (listed Grade II), a carriage drive, the ruins of the hall (listed Grade I), a keeper's cottage (listed Grade II), a games pavilion, a gymnasium/theatre, approximately 20 acres (8.1 ha) of fields, formal gardens (listed Grade II), woodland and a walled garden (listed Grade II).
Future
The property was eventually sold in January 2010 for £390,000, with the new owners expressing a desire to restore the hall for use as a single dwelling.As of November 2011 Linda Lamb
Linda Lamb
Linda Lamb is an American singer and musician of European descent who has worked with Vitalic and Nina Hagen; she is known for her underground hit Hot Room.-Career:...
and Mark Baker
Mark Baker
Mark Baker may refer to:*Mark Baker , British animator*Mark Allen Baker , American author and historian*Mark M...
are working on a collection of songs based on the poems of Margaret Sandbach of Hafodunos which will be released as an album in 2012. This will also be accompanied by a book based on Sandbach's life.