We examine Kington House. Which today is a community-based residential home for adults with mental health needs. Also, a base to support those with Learning Disabilities. Just prior to that a residential care home for the elderly, and then a family home.
Now before, we examine our old structures within the Barry and District I usually consult the good old Ordnance Survey for a date for the construction of such buildings. Well, this week, is pretty easy, there is a Bath stone foundation block on the ground floor on the outside of the entrance porch. This stone block has the capital initials of M A V with the date 1905. Who is M A V? Our friend John Anzevino has the answer this week yet again.
M A V stood for Mrs. Mary Ann Vaughan, and was her family home. Planning permission was granted for Mrs. Vaughan in 1905. The family were wine & spirt merchants that also owned the adjoining buildings on St. Nicholas Road, which was one of Barry’s first shops, which later became Arthur Cooper Off Licence, and now a solicitor.
But what was on this site just before Kington was built? On the 1898 Ordnance Survey there is an empty space: West behind the St. Nicholas Road shop, which has a Southern access to Old Village Road. At that point, the terraced houses on the Southside of Old Village Road, were still to be built. By 1905 Kington House, and much of Old Village Road was developed or in the process of being built.
Kington House is set back on the north side of Old Village Road, and you can easily miss it, shaded in 100-year trees, and other flora in front. When we discussed Kington House on the Barry and District Museumeers page, one name kept cropping up. Dave Lewis who used to live at the St. Nicholas Road; and a good old family friend of mine, tells us that John Thomas used to live there. The very man himself who owned Photo Den on Broad Street. The Barry and District Mecca for photography until the early 2000s.
Like Jan Shelley, John Thomas of Kington House, was fondly known as ‘Den’. On a personal level Den or Dennis or John helped me out when I was very ill. I miss him.
We can’t finish without a few blasts looking at Kington and its architecture. The pseudo regency curved ‘bow’ bay windows on either side of the entrance stand out. They are the very best Bath stone from ground to roof level. With 4 windows and stone mullions between, on all four sections of the bays. The quoin stones on either side of the frontage are of Bath stone, framing red brick through to the rear of the building and partially on the frontage.
The central porch is a different style – hexagonal in form, with a balustrade above, backed by three Georgian Bath stone vertically formed windows. Above for the Second floor is a gable roof, framing below a pseudo-Tudor black timber on a white background.
What an interesting building in a quiet place. More of our Barry and District next week.
