The Argoed, Penallt
{{Infobox historic site
| name = The Argoed
| image = The Argoed Penallt.jpg
| caption = The rear of the house
| type = House
| locmapin = Wales Monmouthshire
| map_relief = yes
| coordinates = {{coord| 51.7726|-2.6927|display=inline,title}}
| location = Penallt, Monmouthshire
| area =
| built = Late 16th century, mid 19th century
| architect =
| architecture =
| governing_body = Private
| designation1 = Grade II* listed building
| designation1_offname = The Argoed
| designation1_date = 15 July 1993
| designation1_number = 2892
| designation2 = Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales
| designation2_free1name = Listing
| designation2_free1value = Grade II
| designation2_offname = The Argoed Garden
| designation2_date = 1 February 2022
| designation2_number = PGW(Gt)49(Mon)
}}
The Argoed, Penallt, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a Victorian country house dating from the 1860s, with earlier origins from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It is a Grade II* listed building and the garden is listed on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. The English meaning of the Welsh word argoed is 'by a wood'.
History
In the 17th century the house was the home of the Proberts, local landowners, members of parliament and High Sheriffs of Monmouthshire.{{efn|The Proberts moved to The Argoed from their ancestral home, Pant Glas at Llanishen.{{sfn|Newman|2000|pp=578-579}}}}{{cite web|url=https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1690-1715/member/probert-henry-1645-1719|title=Henry Probert (c.1645-1719)|publisher=History of Parliament Online|access-date=16 April 2022}} Richard Potter, Chairman of the Great Western Railway and father of Beatrice Webb, bought the house in 1865 and undertook extensive rebuilding.{{Coflein|num=36392|desc=The Argoed|access-date=16 April 2022}} Beatrice Webb was a founder member of the Fabian Society and, in the later 19th and early 20th centuries, she entertained many prominent friends at the Argoed, including George Bernard Shaw. Shaw is rumoured to have written his plays The Man of Destiny and Mrs. Warren's Profession whilst staying at the house.{{cite web|author=Penny Churchill |url=http://www.countrylife.co.uk/news/article/386072/Country-houses-for-sale-in-Monmouthshire.html |title=Luxury property for sale in Monmouthshire|publisher=Country Life |date=6 August 2009}} In the 1980s, the Argoed was owned by Robert Plant of the rock band Led Zeppelin.
Architecture
The architectural historian John Newman describes the Argoed as "a large, two-storeyed stone house (and) a tantalizing one."{{sfn|Newman|2000|pp=462-3}} The central block is original and irregular, its "windows all 18th century sashes."{{sfn|Newman|2000|pp=462-3}} Potter's re-building included a larger block to the south and a service wing to the north.{{sfn|Newman|2000|pp=462-3}} The interior has been greatly reconstructed. The grounds are largely from the 19th and 20th centuries, though they include "17th century terraces of potential archaeological interest."{{National Historic Assets of Wales|desc=The Argoed|num=2892|grade=II*|accessdate=14 February 2021}} The triangular plot has gardens which include wide gravel drives, formal lawns, terraces and ha-has which look out over the Wye valley. The gardens are listed at Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales{{NHAW|uid=302|num=PGW(Gt)49(MON) |class=HPG|desc=The Argoed|access-date=5 February 2023}} and are recorded by the RCAHMW on their Coflein database.{{Coflein|num=265998|desc=The Argoed Garden, Penallt|access-date=16 April 2022}}
Notes
{{notes}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{Cite book
|last=Newman|first=John
|authorlink=John Newman (architectural historian)
|series=The Buildings of Wales
|title=Gwent/Monmouthshire
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knRf4U60QjcC&pg=318
|year=2000
|publisher=Penguin
|isbn=0140710531
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argoed, Monmouth}}
Category:History of Monmouthshire
Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Monmouthshire
Category:Registered historic parks and gardens in Monmouthshire