Castell Malgwyn (alternatively Castle Malgwyn or Hammet House) is a grade II listed Georgian-style country house standing in a landscaped estate in the community of Manordeifi,

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

, lying on the south bank of the river Teifi opposite the village of

Llechryd Llechryd () is a rural village on the A484 road approximately from Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales. Situated on the north bank of the tidal River Teifi, Llechryd is the first point upstream of Cardigan where crossing is possible. Most of the village ...

. The house is now a hotel.

History

The present house was constructed c.1795 for

Sir Benjamin Hammet Sir Benjamin Hammet (''c.'' 173622 July 1800) was an English businessman, banker and politician, who served as Member of Parliament from Taunton (1782–1800), and as High Sheriff of London. Contemporary accounts state that he was a footman, ...

, a wealthy entrepreneur from Taunton, Somerset, who bought the estate in 1791. It is built in three storeys of local Cilgerran stone with a hipped slate roof, a five-bay frontage and a two-storey wing. It replaced a previous house and was originally named Castle Malgwyn. Hammet, who founded and co-owned the bank of Esdaile, Hammet & Co. was elected MP for his home town of Taunton in 1782. He had originally bought the estate to acquire the associated tinplate works at nearby Penygored. He was given permission to close the public road from Llechryd to Cilgerran which ran through the estate and to reroute it further south to skirt the estate. This entailed building the Castell Malgwyn bridge over the "canal", a conduit which fed water to the tinworks, and Hammet Bridge over the Morgenau brook. The grounds were landscaped by local landscaper, Charles Price. Castell Malgwyn stable block - geograph

After Hammet's death in 1802 the estate passed to his son, John. By 1806 the works were demolished and on John's early death in 1811 the house contents were sold. When Sir Benjamin's wife Lady Louisa died in 1824 the estate was sold to Abel Anthony Gower of Glandovan, who let the property. On Gower's death in 1837 his nephew, Abel Lewes Gower, inherited and moved in, investing a large amount of money on improving the property, commissioning

Ambrose Poynter Ambrose Poynter (16 May 1796 – 20 November 1886) was a British architect. He was one of the founding members of the Institute of British Architects in 1834. Early life Born in London on 16 May 1796, he was second son of Ambrose Lyon Poynter b ...

to build the lodge, grand entrance and stable court. When he also died young in 1849 his widow remained in residence until her own death in 1886, when it passed to Abel Lewes's brother, Robert Frederick Gower, who had also inherited Glandovan from their father. Castell Malgwyn passed down in the Gower family until it was sold in 1948, and became a hotel in 1962. The house was renamed Hammet House in 2012.

References

{{coord, 52.0606, -4.6069, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Country houses in Pembrokeshire Grade II listed buildings in Pembrokeshire Hotels in Pembrokeshire