For Sale in 1778: A Mansion House Called the Fryers

When searching for old news articles and adverts about Newport, it's good to expand beyond the usual newspapers and this advert is from the Bath Chronicle published on 2nd April 1778 describes a house for sale called the Fryers.

The Bath Chronicle, Thursday 2nd April, 1778 (Subscription Required)

The advert lists 8 Lots with the main Lot being the house itself and the others being meadow land.

Lot 1
All that Capital Messauge or Mansion-Houses, called the FRYERS; consisting of a hall, two parlours, kitchen, cellar, and other conveniences, four bed-chambers, and three garrets, with a stable, coach-house, laundry and brew-house, two gardens walled round, one well planted with fruit trees, an orchard containing about two acres, with choice apples for cyder; pleasantly situated near Newport-Town, with a beautiful prospect of the river Usk and the Severn, with 10, 20, 0r 30 acres of rich meadow or pasture-land, or more if required.

The description of being near 'Newport-Town' and also having views of both the Usk and Severn would point to it being where The Friars is currently located on Belle Vue Lane. In the 18th century the limit's of the town would have been on or near the location of St Woolos and the area being far less populated than today it describing it as being near Newport would have been accurate.

The Original 'Fryers' House

According to CADW, a house was built on the site in 1547 which was a private manor house called 'The Friars". Beyond that, it seems difficult to find anything else about that property but by the 19th century it had been replaced with a now Grade II listed building called the same name.

Also according to CADW, the present house dates from early-to mid-C19 and was occupied by a Dr Anthony Hawkins and Thomas Prothero and was the house of Octavius Morgan, brother of Lord Tredegar, between 1839 to 1888.

The image below shows how the house would have looked when Octavius Morgan resided there. In the background is St Woolos Cathedral (then a church) and where the cows are would be Belle Vue Park. Back then it would have been the garden of Belle Vue House as the park wasn't built until 1894. Just behind the cows you can see Belle Vue Lane which probably looked more like what you would consider a small country lane than the present-day wider road and pavement.

Even though the house in the image is not the same one in the advert, it's probably a good representation of how the landscape would have been in the 18th century.

The advert mentions the house coming with 10, 20, or 30 acres and you would presume it would have been near the house. The tithe map of around 1840/41 shows plot 342 with the house taking up just over an acre and then a number of other adjoining plots (312, 313, 314, 323, 343 and 344) being pasture belonging to the Morgan's and taking up 15 acres. This may well have been been the land, or part of it, being described in the advert.