Ffynone

The name predates the present house, and its Welsh name Ffynnonau, meaning "Wells", reflects the existence of a number of springs in the vicinity. Spence-Jones took the additional surname of Colby by royal licence in 1920. In 1927, the property was sold to a Glamorgan business man. The house, in 20 acre of woodland, was bought and restored from 1988 onwards by Owen Lloyd George, 3rd Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor and his wife, who are credited with saving the house. After the death of the 3rd Earl in 2010, the house was put up for sale with a guide price of £2.5 million. The estate records (to 1919) are held at the National Library of Wales.

John Nash was commissioned to design the house in the early 1790s; construction work began in 1794 and was completed by 1799. Materials included locally quarried stone as well as stone from other parts of Britain. The house was laid out to a classical Georgian plan. 60,000 trees were sourced from John Mackie, a Norwich nursery man, and hundreds of tons of topsoil were brought in. Inigo Thomas, in contrast, remodelled the house in the style of an Italian palazzo. He added the east and west wings, creating a library and an ornate dining room and music room with a cross vaulted tunnel roof.