Tredean House, Devauden

In the early 20th century the Dukes of Beaufort sold off their extensive Monmouthshire estates, centred on Troy House.[1] The site of Tredean was purchased by a Mr Henry Simpson,[2] who began the construction of a large house in the Arts and Crafts style.[2] His architect was Arthur Hardwick and the house was completed between 1901-02.[2] Tredean remains a private house which was marketed for £2.25m in 2002.[3] As of August 2020, the house, renamed Devauden Manor, is again for sale, with a guide price of £3.5M.[4] The house cannot be seen from the road, although the lodge, also in private ownership[5] and with its own Grade II listing,[6] and which the architectural historian John Newman considered "pert",[7] gives a flavour of the house's style.[6]

John Newman describes Tredean as "a large and ambitious house in a loose Voyseyesque style".[7] Cadw records its terraced setting, on the side of a steep hill, "two-storey and-attic with a full basement due to the artificial ground level".[2] It describes the interior as "more Norman Shaw 'olde English' than Voysey" and notes the "very high standard" of the house's restoration in the very late 20th century.[2] The house is Grade II* listed,[2] with the lodge,[6] the stable block and garage,[8] and the teahouse in the garden,[9] all having their own Grade II listings. Coflein records that the house is "almost unaltered" since its construction.[10] The rooms in the house include a panelled entrance hall with stained glass, a dining room and sitting room with some reproduction fittings in the original style, a billiard room and a bathroom of 1902 with its "tiling and sanitary ware all complete".[2]

The terraced gardens surrounding the house were developed later, c.1910, but follow the Arts and Crafts style.[11]

• Benson, Ann (2017). Troy House - A Tudor Estate Across Time. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 978-1-78316-989-4.
• Newman, John (2000). Gwent/Monmouthshire. The Buildings of Wales. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-071053-1.