1. Early Victorian mansion, 2 storeys rendered, with ashlar dressings & plinth.

2. Built in 1834 for Edward & John Alfrey who owned the brewery in Newport Castle. It was substantially rebuilt in 1877 by Thomas Cordes MP for Newport and it remained in the family until 1890. Used as hospital during the 1914-18 First World War and purchased by Newport Council in 1922 for use as school, it has been a Community Centre since 1974. Tithe Map of 1840 shows it as a large roughly rectangular house with a W rear range. The OS map 1881 shows it as roughly U-shaped with the E garden frontage as the central section, the grounds descending to the Great Western Region Railway. The rear service wing including kitchen and servants quarters was demolished. Photograph of 1890 shows the central section originally had balustraded parapets at main roof level and to the canted bays, with pediment heads over the 2nd and 5th upper floor windows, and further stacks.

Classical mansion of two storeys. Originally of stucco with ashlar dressings, now wholly painted. Shallow pitched hipped roof of Welsh slate with central narrow rectangular stack. Entrance frontage comprises a central canted bay with windows to each face, flanked on each side by a range. Raised end pilasters, corniced parapet and platband separating the storeys. Central flat-roofed portico in front of a round-arched moulded doorway, with entablature, Ionic columns and rear pilasters. Wide single storey ground floor bay projects to left. Original glazing was 12 pane-sashes; some now altered.

Garden frontage with central projecting range -12-pane windows above two wide canted ground floor bays with large sash windows. The bays are separated by a narrow round-arched niche. At each end are bowed ranges of large first floor 12-pane sashes and long full-height ground floor 15-pane sashes. End pilasters, platband and shallow roof cornice and parapet. N-facing elevation has a similar 3-window range of large sashes.

Interior contains a range of C19 fittings and furnishings, including shutters to almost all the windows, panelled reveals, door surrounds with paterae, decorative plasterwork, marble fireplaces. The porch has an encaustic tiled floor and the glazed lobby entrance has decorative plasterwork of pilasters with egg and dart cornice and Ionic scrolls, acanthus leaf coving and anthemion cornice to the ceiling. The main hall has decorative floor tiles, similar plasterwork, piers with similar narrow capitals. Corridor with a series of heavy moulded bracketed plaster arches gives access to the main reception rooms; panelled cupboards on the inner rear wall. The library has decorative plasterwork cornice, panelled reveals and shutters . The morning room on the other side of the hall has bay window to front and door to former conservatory. The music room has an elaborate and delicate gilded and painted wooden chimney-piece incorporating mirrors resting on a white heavily carved marble fireplace; the painted decoration here and on the ceiling is derived from Roman classical motifs, also a ceiling cornice of classical motifs. The window bay recess is framed by fluted columns with Ionic capitals and pilasters against the wall; low panelled dado and entablature over door. The dining room has an elaborate heavily carved brown/grey marble fireplace incorporating pre-Raphaelite style tiles, heavy billet-moulded cornice and heavy brackets to the bay window recess. Billiard room has two frontages and is at a lower level; former dressing room off.

Open well staircase with twisted balusters and decorative treads ends rises to a landing newel under an arcade of 3 round-headed arches and round columns with shallow capitals and similar cornice. Tall round-arched staircase window with fluted surround and brackets and millennium glazing. First floor rooms lead off the L-shaped landing. These have less elaborate plasterwork and plain marble classical style fireplaces; smaller former service rooms off rear passage.

SF RCAHMW 29/09/2005

(Source: Cadw listing database)