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Voelas Hall;Foelas Hall, Pentrefoelas

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NPRN35552
Map ReferenceSH85SW
Grid ReferenceSH8498551539
Unitary (Local) AuthorityPowys
Old CountyDenbighshire
CommunityPentrefoelas
Type Of SiteCOUNTRY HOUSE
Period20th Century
Description

1. Recent reconstruction. Good country house. Plastered. 2 stories. Pediment with arms. Doorways with broken pediments.

2. A large country mansion, two and three storeys high. Containing the Brohomaglus stone.
Interior: Library firplace; A tall carved composite fireplace with two different coat of arms. The top centre focal point is a Rampant (lion). Dated inscription 1653.
Hall fireplace; A carved fireplace situated in the Hall, showing a number of small "coat of arms" Dining room fireplace; A carved marble fireplace, in the dining room. Above the fireplace in the marble, is an area for a painting to be displayed.
CHN 13/11/03

3. Voelas, as Plas Iolyn and Gilar, is one of the 3 major family houses of Pentrefoelas area. It occupies the approximate site of a Regency villa called Lima, erected in 1813-1819 by the Hon. Charles Finch, which was replaced in 1856-58 by a more substantial house for Charles Wynne-Finch, incorporating part of the original villa. Some outbuildings remain from this period. The present building was commissioned by Col T C Wynne-Finch from a family friend, Clough Williams Ellis, who designed and supervised its erection in 1957-1961, one of his last significant works.

The house is two storeys, built of stone, smooth rendered, and with two parallel ranges of hipped slate roofs. The main front, facing south over the valley, is of 9 bays, the centre 3 broken forward and pedimented in early C18 style. There are 15-paned sash windows to the ground floor, 12-paned to the upper floor. A central architraved doorcase with a tall scrolled open pediment over carries his wife, Alice's, initials, and contains a glazed door. In the pediment is the draped family shield.

The west elevation of the picture gallery is similar, perhaps more successfully proportioned, of 5 bays, with a glazed door in a pilastered doorcase under a scrolled pedimented doorcase, and the initials TCWF.

The entrance elevation, to the rear, has the main glazed screen and door to the hallway, under a flat canopy on scrolled ironwork brackets. To the right is the coat of arms from the previous family house at Hen Voelas. To the left are two very tall windows, 11 panes high, lighting the staircase.

The east elevation has two tripartite 12-pane sash windows to the ground floor, and a wall enclosing the east garden, running to the summer house and outbuildings.

The main entrance on the north leads to a most impressive and generous stair hall. The main reception rooms are ranged along the south front, and the service accommodation on the east, with the kitchen in the SE corner. The west is wholly occupied by the picture gallery, linked en-filade to the drawing room. The small and large drawing rooms, and hallway have very fine C18 Corinthian doorcases enlivened with gold, together with remarkable chimney pieces with slips of various marbles all reclaimed from Lindsey House, Chelsea, London. Mahogany panelled doors.

The free-standing dog-leg stair rises to a sitting area on the half-landing with a good C18 pedimented bookcase, a replica facing it. The picture gallery is of 1.5 storeys, contrived by raising the upper floor at this end, a design said to be based on Uppark. Fine baroque chimney piece with framed painting.
(Source; Cadw listing database) S Fielding RCAHMW 14/12/2005