Dol-Llys Hall


Dol-Llys Hall is a country house dating from the early 19th century in the community of Llanidloes, Powys, Wales. Now run as a cooperative and cohousing community, it is a Grade II* listed building.

History

The origins of the present hall were unusual. In the mid-18th century the Dol-Llys estate was owned by the Mears family, who had moved north to Montgomeryshire from Brecon. George Mears was sheriff of the county in 1759 and was followed in that office by his son, Hugh, in 1781. His grandson, Maurice, who died in 1807, had asked his solicitor, a Mr Stephens, to prepare a will naming eleven possible heirs to the estate, in order of precedence. Stephens suggested that one further name be added, to make a round dozen, and Maurice Mears invited him to include either himself or his son, George. Stephens included his son as the twelfth name, only for the prior eleven in the list all to die prematurely. George Stephens then inherited the estate, changing his name to Mears.
On his inheritance, Mears built the present house between 1808 and 1813. The Mears family lost their money on the failure of the Welshpool Bank and the estate was sold in 1865. It had a number of private owners in the 20th century, and during the Second World War housed the boys of St Winifred's School, when they were evacuated from Seaford in Sussex. The house later became a council-run retirement home. In 1992 the hall and 14 acres of the original estate were bought by a group of individuals who established a housing cooperative. The cohousing community is home to six families. In 2019, a resident at Dol Llys, Rachael Marshall, was appointed as Powys County Council's first cohousing officer.

Architecture and description

The house is of two storeys with slate roofs. Cadw considers it as a "Picturesque Gothic country house in the style of John Nash". Robert Scourfield and Richard Haslam, in their Powys volume in the Buildings of Wales series, describe the main, garden, front as a "delightful façade", with a central bow window and extensive verandas.
Cadw designates the hall a Grade II* listed building. The lodge at the entrance to the drive has a separate Grade II listing. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales notes the main features of the garden as a lake with an island, ponds, woodland and lawns.