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Kemeys House

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Kemys House

In the community of Langstone.
In the historic county of Monmouthshire.
Modern authority of Newport.
Preserved county of Gwent.

OS Map Grid Reference: ST38199258
Latitude 51.62860° Longitude -2.89433°

Kemeys House has been described as a certain Pele Tower.

There are masonry ruins/remnants remains.

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*.
Description

Small strongly built square tower; appears to have been added to a contemporary hall. Probably C15; built up in a large house of C17. No known history. (Hogg and King)

Ancient mansion not much altered from C16 when it would seem to have been rebuilt in it present form. Remains of tower belonging to origin edifice in NE. (Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust HER)

Located on the E side of Langstone Court Road, to the S of the A48 Chepstow/Newport Road, set down a private drive.
Entered on the S side via a modern gabled porch into the C17 W range. Interior is generally modernised. A good well type oak stair survives in this range with five landings with turned balusters, flat moulded handrail to flat topped newels, ball pendants and solid moulded strings. To right hand side of the entrance hallway are two surviving long, square-headed C15 lights with hollow chamfered mullion and chamfered sandstone jambs. Formerly on gable of the earliest hall range, now internalised by the C17 range. Basement of C19 wing has surviving cast iron range at E end. Original pegged and trussed "A" frame roof.
Substantial two-and-a-half storey farmhouse dating from three periods: the central range is the earliest, probably dating from the C15, aligned on a N/S axis, the W two-storey range is C17 aligned E/W and the E range is a lower C19 addition, set back on an E/W axis. Whitewashed rendered elevations with steeply pitched slate roofs: four gable chimneys all rebuilt in yellow bricks, two to the central range and one each to the W and E ranges. The house has been refenestrated with a mixture of mostly modern casements and small pane sash windows, being symmetrically aligned to the front (S) W end range and the rear (N) central range. The central range to the front elevation has a large projecting stack rising to the eaves with blocked square window openings to the attic high up on the gable on S and N faces. Rear elevation has a miscellany of modern windows largely of random pattern. (Listed Building Report)
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Sources of information, references and further reading
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The bibliography owes much to various bibliographies produced by John Kenyon for the Council for British Archaeology, the Castle Studies Group and others.
Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
Minor archaeological investigations, such as watching brief reports, and some other 'grey' literature is most likely to be held by H.E.R.s but is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded here, or elsewhere, but some suggestions can be found here.
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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of the described site.

This record last updated before 1 February 2016
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