# Great Frampton Country House, South Wales - 2014 / 16



## Vertigo Rod (Feb 16, 2016)

Great Frampton is a Grade II listed Country House (date listed - 22nd February 1963) in South Glamorgan. Originally built in the 1500s, the front was redesigned in the late 1700s. It was gutted by fire in December 1994.

I have visited this site twice (in January 2014 and January 2016). It is a beautiful house even now, but sadly in a terrible state following the fire over 20 years ago. Before my first visit, I was researching this area for derelict mansions / manor houses and found this. An impressive feature I found in old and recent photographs was the huge concrete boulders on the top corners of the house.... but when I arrived one was completely missing and the other lay in front of the house - luckily had fallen before I arrived 

Here are a few pics showing the house from my visits, hope you enjoy......

First visit in January 2014.....



















Second visit in January 2016.....





































Hope you enjoyed....


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## Jon6D (Feb 16, 2016)

Great work once again Rod, I really enjoying reading your articles as much as looking at your the photographs, they complement each other brilliantly , thanks for your share


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## Rubex (Feb 16, 2016)

Nice one Vertigo Rod! It looks like it would have been very grand at one point  great photos!


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## Vertigo Rod (Feb 16, 2016)

Jon6D said:


> Great work once again Rod, I really enjoying reading your articles as much as looking at your the photographs, they complement each other brilliantly , thanks for your share



Thanks buddy, appreciate that!


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## tazong (Feb 16, 2016)

Great pictures bud and that looks a really good explore - I think the really encouraging thing is all that scaffolding has been put up to preserve whats left of the remaining structure - so maybe there is some sort of long term goal for some sort of restoration.
Which is good because restored that would be some house.


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## Vertigo Rod (Feb 16, 2016)

tazong said:


> Great pictures bud and that looks a really good explore - I think the really encouraging thing is all that scaffolding has been put up to preserve whats left of the remaining structure - so maybe there is some sort of long term goal for some sort of restoration.
> Which is good because restored that would be some house.



Thank you for the comment Tazong, and yes - I really hope you are right! It always confuses & annoys me when I see Listed buildings going to ruin.... surely by Listing / Grading them in the first place it says the building has a historical significance and needs preserving?! Just doesn't make sense to me


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## FoxChild (Feb 16, 2016)

These are such wonderful photos! They really capture the imagination! Well done!


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## BikinGlynn (Feb 16, 2016)

Interesting place Is it just me o does the window in pic 3 look 90deg out?


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## smiler (Feb 16, 2016)

That is really nicely done Rod, I enjoyed it, Thanks


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## flyboys90 (Feb 17, 2016)

That's been a really nice pad!Belting photos,thanks for sharing.


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## HughieD (Feb 17, 2016)

Like that one....far gone but still fascinating...


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## Dirus_Strictus (Feb 17, 2016)

Vertigo Rod said:


> Thank you for the comment Tazong, and yes - I really hope you are right! It always confuses & annoys me when I see Listed buildings going to ruin.... surely by Listing / Grading them in the first place it says the building has a historical significance and needs preserving?! Just doesn't make sense to me



Listing this place was probably the cause of its present state. It would have added £1000's onto an already horrendously expensive repair bill back in 1963, thus it was left to the elements. Listed mainly for the nice interior of a 16th C original building, that was ruined by the bloody awful 18th C frontage and rendering. The beauty of the original interior is gone and no reproduction will give that back.

What most people forget is that buildings are 'living' objects, and our stock of old structures has survived because that have been adapted through the ages to meet the new demands of that particular era. Obviously one needs certain 'rules' in place to stop ever increasing demolition, but in some instances Georgian builders were some of the worst Jerry Builders around - built for show and not substance! Some, surely in cases like this, modern materials/ techniques etc should be allowed in the rebuilding/renovations? That it seems, all depends on the whim of your local Council 'Listed Buildings Engineer/Supervisor. A friend is restoring an old property at the moment and the sticking point is a fire destroyed English Oak floor, originally laid with very wide boards. Board width and availability makes the use of new native Oak a nonsense, and as the eventual re-boarded floor will be fully carpeted (to fit in with the rooms new use), who cares what is under the carpet? 

A number of buildings have been listed (it seems reading between the lines) because of the way they sit in the landscape and harmonise the view. Fine by me, nothing can look greater than a landscape with a nice structure in view, but don't start telling the owner that he cannot knock a couple of internal walls down and put in an indoor pool, if that is the real reason for the listing.


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## Sam Haltin (Feb 17, 2016)

A shame about this house, must have been grans at one time. Just checked on the Rightmove website that this house was sold in January 2014 for £650.000. Mind you, the buyers will need a lot more to rebuild the house.


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## Vertigo Rod (Feb 17, 2016)

Hugh Jorgan said:


> A shame about this house, must have been grans at one time. Just checked on the Rightmove website that this house was sold in January 2014 for £650.000. Mind you, the buyers will need a lot more to rebuild the house.



Thanks for the comment buddy. I read that too - but didn't put that in the write up as I couldn't find out if that sale actually went through? January 2014 was also the first time I visited (the 2nd being a few weeks ago) so if is was sold 2 years ago, they buyers haven't done a thing yet?!


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## Vertigo Rod (Feb 17, 2016)

Dirus_Strictus said:


> Listing this place was probably the cause of its present state.



Thank you for your great comment - really enjoyed reading that. I also have a friend who has a 15th century house and faces the same restricting issues. On one hand we all want every remaining building (or features within that building) we have left with a historical significance to be preserved - but at what cost to the owners? What is 'significant' should be listed - i.e., don't alter a certain staircase, fireplace, a particular wall, a particular feature, etc - but the rest of the house (within reason) should be up for negotiation for alteration? As the owners of Graded properties are left frustratingly restricted...... we then have the other type of Graded properties which appear to be left to rot? It really doesn't make sense.

I really don't have the knowledge of Graded / Listed buildings that I would like - and keep meaning to research for a better understanding. Maybe one day I'll get the time?! But it is a subject that I would like to know more about, as a lot of aspects does not make sense to me.


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