Bronwydd, Cardiganshire
Encyclopedia
Bronwydd Castle was a Welsh country house in Cardiganshire, owned by the Lloyd family. It is just south of Llangynllo/Llangunllo, halfway between Cardigan
and Lampeter
. Sir Thomas Lloyd, 1st Baronet
rebuilt the original 18th century house in the Gothic Revival style in the 1850s. The family sold the house in 1937 after the death of Sir Thomas' son and daughter-in-law; after World War II the house was stripped of its fittings and has been left in ruins.
. The architect was R. K. Penson, who skillfully adapted an existing 18th century house to create an elaborate Victorian gothic 'castle' suitable for the 'Marcher Lord' of Cemais. The 18th-century house contained a private chapel, the Lloyds of that era having been converts to Methodism
, while the reconstructed Bronwydd included a baronial hall, containing the family muniments and serving as entrance hall. The exterior of the building included a tall, slim round tower and a square tower with bell-turret. Part of the house is supposed to have been modelled on the cathedral transept and tower of the Rock of Cashel
, Ireland, although Thomas Lloyd described the whole as 'a romantic Rhineland castle with patterned roof-tiling.' The stables and service block were rendered in mock half-timber, similar to the streets of Chester
. The house was sited on a bluff overlooking a river.
The interiors were splendid, with painted mottoes above the doors, a profusion of carved stone, stained glass and mural paintings. The expense of such medieval fantasies rested heavy on the estate, which was in debt to the tune of £100,000 when Sir Thomas' son, Sir Marteine Lloyd inherited the estate in 1877. Prudent management and the sale of outlying lands restored some solvency to the estate in the years prior to the First World War. The death of Sir Marteine's son, Arundel Keymes Lloyd in the Great War doomed the estate, however. The Inland Revenue demanded death duties on the estate, which had been made over to Arundel Lloyd in order to avoid those same duties. For much of the post-war period, Sir Marteine and Lady Lloyd lived away from Bronwydd, although they celebrated their Golden Wedding in 1928 in some style.
Sir Marteine Lloyd died in 1933, and Lady Lloyd attempted to let the house, which ended up housing illegal aliens. On Lady Lloyd's death in 1937, the house and grounds were sold. The sale of land close to the mansion for forestry work doomed the house. After housing a Jewish boarding school, Aryeh House School, in the Second World War, and aliens thereafter, the house, then known as Bronwydd Castle, was stripped. Substantial parts of the house remained roofed into the 1980s. The round tower fell in the early years of the 21st century, and much of the house has disappeared.
Cardigan, Ceredigion
Cardigan is a town in the county of Ceredigion in Mid Wales. It lies on the estuary of the River Teifi at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire. It was the county town of the pre-1974 county of Cardiganshire. It is the second largest town in Ceredigion. The town's population was 4,203...
and Lampeter
Lampeter
Lampeter is a town in Ceredigion, South West Wales, lying at the confluence of the River Teifi and the Afon Dulas.-Demographics:At the 2001 National Census, the population was 2894. Lampeter is therefore the smallest university town in both Wales and the United Kingdom...
. Sir Thomas Lloyd, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Lloyd, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Davies Lloyd, 1st Baronet , was a British Liberal Member of Parliament, for Cardiganshire 1865-1868 and Cardigan Boroughs 1868-1874. An old fashioned Whig Liberal, he defeated David Davies of Llandinam for Cardiganshire, 1865...
rebuilt the original 18th century house in the Gothic Revival style in the 1850s. The family sold the house in 1937 after the death of Sir Thomas' son and daughter-in-law; after World War II the house was stripped of its fittings and has been left in ruins.
History
Bronwydd replaced Cilrhiwe as the main family home in the 1850s, at which time it was rebuilt in the fashionable gothic revival style by Sir Thomas Lloyd, 1st BaronetSir Thomas Lloyd, 1st Baronet
Sir Thomas Davies Lloyd, 1st Baronet , was a British Liberal Member of Parliament, for Cardiganshire 1865-1868 and Cardigan Boroughs 1868-1874. An old fashioned Whig Liberal, he defeated David Davies of Llandinam for Cardiganshire, 1865...
. The architect was R. K. Penson, who skillfully adapted an existing 18th century house to create an elaborate Victorian gothic 'castle' suitable for the 'Marcher Lord' of Cemais. The 18th-century house contained a private chapel, the Lloyds of that era having been converts to Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
, while the reconstructed Bronwydd included a baronial hall, containing the family muniments and serving as entrance hall. The exterior of the building included a tall, slim round tower and a square tower with bell-turret. Part of the house is supposed to have been modelled on the cathedral transept and tower of the Rock of Cashel
Rock of Cashel
The Rock of Cashel , also known as Cashel of the Kings and St. Patrick's Rock, is a historic site in Ireland's province of Munster, located at Cashel, South Tipperary.-History:...
, Ireland, although Thomas Lloyd described the whole as 'a romantic Rhineland castle with patterned roof-tiling.' The stables and service block were rendered in mock half-timber, similar to the streets of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. The house was sited on a bluff overlooking a river.
The interiors were splendid, with painted mottoes above the doors, a profusion of carved stone, stained glass and mural paintings. The expense of such medieval fantasies rested heavy on the estate, which was in debt to the tune of £100,000 when Sir Thomas' son, Sir Marteine Lloyd inherited the estate in 1877. Prudent management and the sale of outlying lands restored some solvency to the estate in the years prior to the First World War. The death of Sir Marteine's son, Arundel Keymes Lloyd in the Great War doomed the estate, however. The Inland Revenue demanded death duties on the estate, which had been made over to Arundel Lloyd in order to avoid those same duties. For much of the post-war period, Sir Marteine and Lady Lloyd lived away from Bronwydd, although they celebrated their Golden Wedding in 1928 in some style.
Sir Marteine Lloyd died in 1933, and Lady Lloyd attempted to let the house, which ended up housing illegal aliens. On Lady Lloyd's death in 1937, the house and grounds were sold. The sale of land close to the mansion for forestry work doomed the house. After housing a Jewish boarding school, Aryeh House School, in the Second World War, and aliens thereafter, the house, then known as Bronwydd Castle, was stripped. Substantial parts of the house remained roofed into the 1980s. The round tower fell in the early years of the 21st century, and much of the house has disappeared.
External links
- Derelict Miscellany has pictures of the ruins in 2009