Piercefield Park
| Piercefield House | |
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"the key component of (a) nationally important historic landscape"
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| Type | House |
| Location | St. Arvans, Monmouthshire |
| Coordinates | 51°39′28″N 2°41′01″W / 51.6579°N 2.6836°WCoordinates: 51°39′28″N 2°41′01″W / 51.6579°N 2.6836°W |
| Built | 1792–1799 |
| Built for | George Smith – (Central block) / Colonel Mark Wood – (Pavilions) |
| Architect | Sir John Soane (Pevsner) or George Vaughan Maddox (Cadw) – (Central block) / Joseph Bonomi the Elder – (Pavilions) |
| Architectural style(s) | Neoclassical |
| Governing body | Privately owned |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Ruins of Piercefield House (Central Block) | |
| Designated | 14 February 2001 |
| Reference no. | 2013 |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Ruins of Piercefield House, Left Hand or West Pavilion | |
| Designated | 14 February 2001 |
| Reference no. | 24754 |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Official name: Ruins of Piercefield House, Right Hand or East Pavilion | |
| Designated | 14 February 2001 |
| Reference no. | 24755 |
 Location of Piercefield House in Monmouthshire
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Piercefield House St. Arvans, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a, largely ruined, neo-classical country house. The central block of the house was designed in the very late 18th century, by, or to the designs of, Sir John Soane. It is flanked by two pavilions, of slightly later date, by Joseph Bonomi the Elder. The house sits within Piercefield Park, a Grade I listed historic landscape, that was created in the 18th century as a notable Picturesque estate.
The house is now a shell, along with its extensive stable block, but its status as a Grade II* listed building reflects its importance. It is currently owned by the Reuben brothers, London-based property developers. A campaign to save and restore the building was launched by SAVE Britain's Heritage in 2013.
Records since the 14th century refer variously to Peerfield, Peersfield, Persfield and Piersfield, the area taking its name, according to some sources, from the nearby manor of St. Pierre. The land was owned by the influential Walter family from medieval times until the 18th century. Local historians report an enlargement of the existing house under John Walter in the 1630s, and a later extension around 1700 is believed to have been the work of the architect William Talman, also responsible for Chatsworth House.
In 1727, the estate was sold for £3,366, 5.6d to Thomas Rous of Wotton-under-Edge. His son then sold it again in 1740, for £8,250, to Colonel Valentine Morris. Morris (c 1678–1743) was born in Antigua, the son of a sugar planter and merchant, and is thought to have been descended from the Walter family. The estate was then inherited by his son, also Valentine Morris (1727–1789), who began living at Piercefield with his family in 1753. At this time, tourism in the Wye Valley was in its infancy. Morris landscaped the parkland, with the help of Richard Owen Cambridge in the style of Capability Brown. The work was largely undertaken by architect Charles Howells and builder William Knowles of Chepstow, who had also undertaken work at nearby Tintern for the Duke of Beaufort. Piercefield was developed into a park of national reputation, as one of the earliest examples of picturesque landscaping. Morris laid out walks through the woodland, and included a grotto, druid's temple, bathing house and giant's cave. He also developed viewpoints along the clifftop above the River Wye, and opened the park up to visitors. One of the many tourists to marvel at this view was the poet Coleridge, who wrote: "Oh what a godly scene....The whole world seemed imaged in its vast circumference". The scientist and traveller Joseph Banks wrote: "I am more and more convinced that it is far the most beautiful place I ever saw".
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Wikipedia