Treowen

Treowen is a grand 17th-century manor house in Monmouthshire, set in open countryside near the village of Dingestow. It stands about a kilometre north-east of Dingestow and four and a half kilometres south-west of Monmouth, replacing a 15th-century building on the same site. The house was built between 1623 and 1627 for William Jones, who briefly served as MP for Monmouthshire in 1614 and became High Sheriff the following year. After the Jones family left in the 1670s, the house became a farmhouse for three centuries. The house is recognised as the most important gentry residence of its period in Monmouthshire. Architectural historian John Newman calls it the most important 17th-century gentry house in the county, built on a grand double-pile plan of Old Red Sandstone. Its original height and repetitive design impressed visitors, though later alterations softened its appearance. Inside, the ground floor rooms rise to over five metres, featuring oak panelling, plaster ceilings and a Jacobean fireplace. A notable feature is the earliest datable open-well staircase in Monmouthshire, with 72 steps. Today Treowen operates as a conference and events venue, hosting weddings and the annual Wye Valley Chamber Music Festival. The gardens retain traces of a Tudor layout, including earthworks and ornamental fishponds. The house has also appeared in television productions such as Doctor Who. Its Grade I listing reflects its historical significance, while the gardens hold Grade II status on the Cadw register.