New House Hotel
New House Hotel is a former country house, now a hotel, in Thornhill, Cardiff, Wales. Dating from around 1795, it was built for Thomas Lewis, a descendant of Thomas Lewis, a founder of the Dowlais Ironworks and prominent local landowner through his own descent from the Lewises of Van. The original Thomas Lewis built a mansion near the site which was destroyed by fire in the mid-18th century and the present building was its replacement. New House Hotel is a Grade II* listed building.
History
The Lewises of Van descended from Sir Edward Lewis. Establishing himself at The Van, south of Caerphilly, Sir Edward built up a large landholding in Glamorgan, serving as Sheriff in 1548, 1555, and 1559. A descendant, Thomas Lewis was the original founder of the Dowlais Ironworks which he began as the Methir Furnace, and later converted to the Dowlais Works in partnership with seven others in 1759. Lewis built himself a mansion near the Thornhill site overlooking Cardiff but this was destroyed by fire after his death and the present replacement was constructed by his descendant, another Thomas, in around 1795.New House was converted to a hotel in the 20th century.