POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020
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Notes on POPLARS, Pontlliw 2020
Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing.
I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life.
The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house:
Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars.
The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation.
Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies.
Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights.
Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges.
Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor.
Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows.
NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face.
Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door.
Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard.
Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner.
Recently put on the market with planning for housing on the grounds, one feels the urbanization around the property is already intrusive but if it helps to keep this lovely building from further deterioration then housing is the lesser of two evils. The property is reached by a gated entrance on the edge of the village Pontlliw. There is no need to open the gate as access can be found simply by walking beside the gatepost. There's a small bricked ruined lodge to the right, small and roofless but the structure itself seems sound. I parked the car here and walked along the meandering driveway. I could hear some kid kicking a ball against a garage door in one of the backyards of the houses built alongside the road and parallel to the driveway. I immediately noticed a CCTV camera on a pole and a small light suddenly coming on as I passed. I did not mind. I was after all trespassing but also knew I had no intention of causing any damage or entering the property. I also knew the house to be in a good structural condition, empty rather than derelict but definitely in need of some re-consolidation, the white wooden veranda is in a very poor state and some of it missing.
I wondered since I'd triggered the CCTV if someone would appear asking me to leave. No-one came. A few images were taken, just general views, any foliage around the property had been cleared and due to the good condition of the house I wondered if it even needed to be documented. But why by-pass such an opportunity? This had been an impromptu visit, I had just returned from a walk to visit a number of ruins but discovered a public footpath had been (illegally?) closed with a high barb-wired fence and warnings of loose dogs and about 6 or 7 sheep skulls tied to the gate. I could have found a way to enter but decided that the ruins I was intending to visit were probably not worth a dog bite and goodness knows what else... so I walked back the way I had come, to the car, a mile or so with a heavy backpack. Driving back I remembered this house, 'Poplar's' I'd seen for sale on Zoopla and had passed the entrance early on. Although it was Saturday morning, bright daylight, I was determined not to waste my morning and parked at the entrance in full view. I am pleased I did. My visit, brief, perhaps half an hour saw me shoot around 10 sheets of film, nothing spectacular but perfunctionary. As is often the case. The house is large and long. The stables are also ruined, and stand half way along the driveway. These I did enter and are in good condition and could continue to be used as stables if desired. I am uncertain if the stables are grade 2 listed (as the house is) so could be possibly demolished. There are images on the web which show the house inside - it looks shabby and needs a lot of decorating and modernizing but I'm sure someone will turn this into a wonderful home once again. I believe planning consent consists of turning the house into dual occupancy. I expect this time next year the whole complex will be mostly finished, polished and Poplar's will experience another chapter in it's life.
The following has been taken from British Listed Buildings website and gives a detailed description of the house:
Constructed c1890 by a local industrialist Friedrich William Dahne and originally called Friedrichsruh. Dahne is believed to be Austrian. He is recorded as advertising for a ‘Working Housekeeper’ in October 1899 and the house and grounds are first shown on the 2nd ed OS map of 1900. It is referred to as an ‘Attractive modern country mansion’ on its sale in 1913, by which point F Dahne had presumably died as the house was occupied ( October 1914) by Friedrich’s son David. By the mid C20 it had been renamed The Poplars.
The design of The Poplars has been attributed to Glendinning Moxham (1865-1946) an architect active in South Wales and resident in Swansea. Moxham published Country Homes & Cottages in 1910 illustrated with his own designs of built and proposed houses. In it he outlines his stylistic preferences for white painted roughcast walls and half timbering rather than exposed local stone, and red tiles used for walls and roofs. Internally oak is used for principal joinery elements (stair, beams, doors and panelling) with the remainder painted. He also puts forward ideas on plan types, with practical plans with deep windows preferred over an attractive elevation.
Moxham designed the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery (1909), banks, hospitals and markets and other buildings throughout Wales. Glen Hir on Gower Road (1900-1910) designed with a French influence of shutters and swept roofs has been attributed to Moxham. Moxham was responsible for the Old English style Bristol Channel Yacht Club (1904) on Mumble s Road. Swiss or Alpine styles had been used in the Swansea area during the C19 with the Swiss Cottage in Singleton Park constructed in 1826 and the Old Rectory in Llanmadoc village (1876-77) by the Rev J D Davies.
Detached house in Alpine Chalet style. Red brick with stone dressings, plinth and ground floor cill band. Decorative timberwork painted white. Slate roofs, half hipped with lead rolled hips and deep projecting eaves and moulded rafter ends. Tall brick stacks, decorative ridge tiles and finials. Segmental headed 6-light casement windows, ground floor with 2 upper lights.
Rectangular ‘C’ plan arranged N E-SW on a gently sloping site. Long 2 storey garden range facing SE, gabled 2 storey end wings at NE and SW ends linked by single storey block enclosing what may have once been an internal courtyard, closed off by an entrance screen wall). Tower in S corner with decorative finial and slating breaking through roof of 2 storey ranges.
Entrance elevation to SW dominated by large full height projecting 2 tier timber veranda on brick plinth, wrapping round at first floor to left hand elevation. Gabled end of the garden wing breaking forward. Moulded posts with bracing, arched on the ground floor and shorter on the first floor with incised and scalloped detailing. Posts irregularly spaced to the left but grouped into 3 bays on the garden wing gable with wider central bay. First floor projects and is supported by corbels. Enclosing low close boarded panels to ground and first floor with pierced decoration with the same applied as gable boarding. Behind 3 windows to the garden wing, central retains stained glass with Alpine folklore scenes in central panels with text below and surrounded by floral designs. Doors in outer bays on the ground floors, 3 windows to the end wing, central bay French doors with leaded glass with oval stained glass cartouches of females. Tiled floor up steps on the ground floor, timber boarded on first floor.
Elevation to NW with gable ends of 2 end wings with shallow timber verandah as before but close to façade and more decorative than functional. 2 window to NE end wing, SW end wing with 5 windows to ground floor and 4 to first floor, irregularly spaced. Single storey range in between with wide central door and flanking windows.
NE elevation, single window to return of end wing, blind door to ground floor. Projecting lean-to 2 store block on garden range, window in right return, door in left return, blocked door and low opening in main face.
Garden elevation of 5 paired window bays (10 windows), projecting stacks in between the 2nd and 3rd pair (reduced) and 4th and 5th. First floor cill band and projecting cills to ground floor windows. Left hand windows to ground floor blind with small lean-to structure to right. Modern entrance porch added in 4th bay with boarded door.
Interior retains original layout substantially intact with doors, skirtings etc surviving. Main entrance from SW front retains large entrance hall with single flight oak stairs with moulded newell, balusters and handrail. Raised and fielded 4-panel doors with veneered panels, door surrounds. Full height panelling, fireplace on left hand wall removed and tiled over. Tiled floor. Below stairs cupboard.
Listed for its special architectural interest as a late C19 house of exceptional style and quality, retaining its original character and designed (probably) by a prominent Swansea architect. A good physical reflection of the movement of successful industrialists into this part of Swansea, with its design and touches of detail reflecting the background of its original owner.
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Return to: THE GLAMORGANS (Including Neath Port Talbot, Gower, Vale of Glamorgan) or RUINS THROUGHOUT WALES or Galleries