History of Caer Llan...
As far as we can tell Caer Llan house was built around the turn of the 18/19th centuries, but there was almost certainly a settlement on the site before that. The whole ridge, with its clear views to the marauding West is known to have been occupied since Neolithic times.
In 1404 the Battle of Craig-y-dorth (hill of the loaf) saw Owain Glyndwr forcing King Henry IVth's men back to the Monmouth town walls, though details of the skirmish are sparse. The ledge on which Caer Llan rests is only 5 minutes from Craig-y-Dorth and Glendwr must have needed somewhere for his followers to rest, feed and have their wounds dressed. Perhaps Caer Llan was his campsite.
In the middle of the 19th century, although it was much smaller than it is now, the old house belonged to the Probert/Morgan family who also owned the Argoed, which designed by Inigo Jones was the most prestigious house in the neighbouring village of Penallt. Both properties were in a run-down condition at that time and in 1865 they were sold to Richard Potter. The Argoed was to be restored for his Summer home but Caer Llan was almost certainly a speculative buy.
Richard Potter was chairman for a few years of the Great Western Railway and a great local benefactor. He owned Caer Llan for less than a year when in 1866 it was bought by a Dr. William Francis Price who practised in Monmouth and introduced anaesthetics to Wales.
Dr. Price set about excavating the ground out from behind the house and building a cellar and a passage way against the landslide. The passage is waterproofed with white ceramic bricks, still visible to this day. At that time the drive did not connect to the road and Caer Llan must have been very secluded indeed. The water supply was probably a spring in the woods which would have been shared by the neighbours.
Price converted the house into an L shaped building with the back of the wing built right up against the steep earth bank. The new rooms downstairs were a bathroom, a scullery, a larder and a new kitchen - and upstairs another bathroom and two more bedrooms. He also put in a drainage sewer to a cesspool and built at least one water tank in the bank behind the house.
The new build went up to a third floor, where there was just one room approached from the bank outside over a wooden bridge. This was probably a maid's room.
Price's widow sold the property in 1890 to Captain Henry Walters RN from aristocratic stock. He enlarged Caer Llan greatly and added much Victorian embellishment. He turned the L shape into a square by adding downstairs a huge reception room and lounge hallway. Above this were two new big bedrooms, one with a small balcony. He built two castellated towers on the corners at the back of the house increasing the sizes of the rooms there and added a third floor room at the back which connected over the roof to the maids room by a small lean-to. He also landscaped the garden with several terraced walls, constructed a heated glass house complete with underground boiler room and he converted the existing garden sheds into a substantial stable block with some attractive stone arches.
The access to the road and the Lodge were built at this time and a new water tank on the hill with a wind-pump driving water up from a stream below. Henry Walters added his crests and motto to the front of the house although the stonemason who carved it has misspelt the motto. This fine motto should read "SIT DUX SAPIENTIA" - "Let wisdom be (your) leader".
Captain Walters was much respected in the locality and did many charitable works. He became a major landowner in the neighbourhood, buying up quite a bit of the surrounding countryside including the neighbouring Cwmcarvan Court and the surrounding 800 acres.
Henry Walters, although married, died childless and the estate passed to his nephew, Robnett in 1937. It probably occupied a good deal of the young mans time coping with the estate. He sold off most of it but kept the house with about 25 acres of woodland and field, the lodge and Cae Jack woods. Robnett Walters married the widow Violet Barclay and they lived in the house together with Violet's family from her first marriage. Her son, John Barclay joined the Fleet Air Arm and was killed in an aeroplane in 1954. His body was lost but a memorial tablet was kept in the garden, and now can be seen built into the dining room wall.
With funds running low the house and property was never properly maintained, quickly falling into a state of disrepair. The Walters opened a small boarding school for about 12 boys, some of which have returned in recent years to see Caer Llan much changed. The boys learned all their lessons from Robnett whilst Violet ran the household. They were allocated the back stairs and two small bedrooms with showers in the cellars. Letters home may have been censored, with some un-posted mail found years later under a floorboard during repair work. In 1969 the Walters decided that Caer Llan was a liability rather than an asset and decided to sell. It was bought by the current owner Peter Carpenter in August 1969 and Jake was born a week later!
The Current Era
Peter's idea was to convert the building into a Field Studies Centre and this initially took about 2 years. Since 1971 the centre has been providing a friendly base for all manner of study groups, conferences, field trips, school journeys, weddings, reunions, and parties. Customers and friends from both the UK and the US, continue to return year after year, some from as far back as 1975.
Over the years Caer Llan house and grounds have been transformed almost entirely through the efforts of Peter and later Jake with help from many dedicated, hard working volunteers and more recently professionals - with a view to ensuring that the standards and facilities available to our guests are constantly updated whilst preserving their historic charm and unique atmosphere.
Here are some of the major projects that have been undertaken along with some memorable dates from over the years.
1969-1971 Peter repairs roof, and undertakes major renovation of run down house. Central heating, bathroom facilities, aga cooker installed. Complete re-decoration and furnishing.
1971 Caer Llan Field Studies Centre received it's first residential booking.
1975 Lower garden and steps are built and landscaped.
1976 Swimming pool is rebuilt.
1977 Dining Room is built.
1978 Chris Sanders arrives as head gardener (he's still here 2007!)
1980 Berm house designed.
1981 Trees removed and bank excavated in readiness for the berm house.
1982 Drying room built and staff accommodation expanded.
1986 -1988 Berm house constructed with some financial help from Commander A F Collett.
1987 Peter's youngest son Jake finishes A levels and takes a year out helping his Dad.
1987 Bedrooms in main house modified to include en-suite bathrooms.
1988-1991 Jake goes to Brighton polytechnic. Graduates with an honours degree in civil engineering.
1991 Commander Collett dies.
1991 Jake returns to help his Dad.
1992 Stone spiral staircase at far end of berm house is built.
1993 Conservatory is built.
1999 Back of house re-pointed and many windows replaced.
2000-2001 Car park is built.
2002 Lower terrace curved retaining wall rebuilt.
2003 Patio area redeveloped with relieving arches.
2004 Main house is re-roofed.
2005 Property is re-wired.
2006 Victorian glasshouse in lower garden restored.
2006 - 2007 Main house bedrooms and conference rooms refurbished.
2007 New website is created.
