Orielton is a 3-storey plain mansion with basement in painted stucco with a 20th century timber cornice concealing a low roof. The Owen family (from Anglesey) married into the Wyrriot family in 1571 and inherited the site. Sir Hugh Owen may have built the core of the present house in the late 17th century. Sir Arthur Owen may have rebuilt in 1734. John Owen rebuilt the house after 1813 (possibly including the present interiors and the exterior stucco) but, heavily in debt, sold the furniture in 1842 and the rest of the estate 1856. In the later 19th century the east front was shortened by five bays.

The east entrance front is now of eight bays with a large porch in the centre, and 16-paned basement windows below. Formerly there were two matching porches linked by a 3-bay tent verandah. The west garden front is an unrelieved 11-bays wide. Older photographs show a prominent array of chimney stacks lost since 1911. The north end service entrance is four storeys. The south end has a 4-bay front with arcaded main floors, and plain half round piers, said to have been an internal orangery.

There are tripartite windows with wide fanlights to the first floor, 20th century ground-floor windows or blank openings and a tall garden door with fanlight. Between the upper windows there is the carved painted Owen arms and there are armorial hoppers to the two downpipes. The east front porch is corniced with Roman Doric columns and pilaster responds. There are fine half-glazed early 19th doors and a big rectangular overlight with barbed radiating metal bars and some coloured glass.

Internally there is an exceptional full-height staircase hall with an open-well cantilevered stone staircase in French Empire style rising full-height, iron balusters and reeded rail. The 3-window centre room has fine plasterwork, an acanthus cornice, coved border and anthemion scrolls in the ceiling corners. It has a white marble east wall fireplace, double doors each end and panelled shutters. The 2-window south-east room has a marble fireplace with reeded panels, similar moulded cornice, ceiling border and centre motif. The basement has indications of various building periods. The thick spine wall, oak beams and one room with a simple ceiling decoration of circle and quadrants, is possibly late 17th century. Orielton is now owned by the Field Studies Council and run as an enviornmental training centre.

Associated with: Gardens (NPRN 265869); Stable court (NPRN 22607) and banqueting tower (NPRN 22609).


(Source: CADW listed buildings database, 29 September 1993).
Ian Archer, RCAHMW, 21st March 2005