Kemeys Manor

Edward, Lord of Kemeys, established his family in South Wales in the early 13th century. Over the next five centuries the family married into many of the most prominent families in Monmouthshire and Glamorgan, and themselves became High Sheriffs of Monmouthshire. In the late 17th century George Kemeys constructed a folly to the south of the house as a hunting lodge, before ending the 500-year connection between the house and the family by selling the estate in the early 18th century. The manor has subsequently had a number of owners, and the folly has been separated from the estate, having been converted to a house in 1911-1912 after a severe fire,

Cadw describes Kemeys Manor as a "well-preserved 16th century manor house". Newman also records some "impressive" 17th century plasterwork in the interior of the house. Hando noted that the hall of the manor contained rows of pegs, used for stretching harp strings. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales records that the grounds of the house include walls and terraces from the Tudor period and are little altered from the time of their construction in the 16th century. The gardens are listed at Grade II on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales. The folly is a square tower with a turret, both crenellated, and…