The Mynde House, 14 High Street, Caerleon

Image: © Jo and Steve Turner Taken: 24 Jul 2022

The Mynde House is in the grounds of a house named Castle Villa and later The Mynde. Mynde House doesn't seem to be listed but the crenelated garden wall is Grade II Listed. In 1839 John Jenkins, owner of Castle Villa, was frightened by the possibility of violence and destruction of property by the Chartist Movement and built the wall right round his property to protect it. It encompassed Caerleon Castle and is now in six different ownerships. A plaque on Mynde House wall in Castle Lane tells this story. The present Mynde House was probably built after the Woolletts acquired the Castle Villa about 1870; it is still described as Castle Villa in 1887. The new Mynde House was incorporated into John Jenkins' wall. Talk of a dispute with the owner of Caerleon House, across the street is said to be the reason of the strangely recessed roof and set back dormer windows. On the other hand it provides a balcony. In a 1927 sale, the property is described as including; a basement cellar; a ground floor vestibule with a tessellated tiled floor, a dining room, a drawing room, a morning room, a china pantry, kitchen, scullery and larder; first floor four bedrooms, two dressing rooms, a box room, linen room, bathroom and lavatory; second floor three bedrooms. There were also stables, a coach house and fruit store at that time.

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