page_title: Insole Court
section_title: Building
hierarchical_section_title: Insole Court / Building
caption_attribution_description: English: The gardens at Insole Court, Cardiff
context_page_description: Insole Court is a Grade II* Listed Victorian Gothic mansion in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales, built for wealthy businessman James Harvey Insole and dating back to 1855. After an extensive refurbishment, the ground floor of the mansion reopened to the public in September 2017. As of 2017, further conservation and restoration work was continuing on the first floor, and was expected to open in 2018. New room hire facilities, 'The Stable Yard' opened in September 2016 along with the Potting Shed Café.
  The mansion is free to visit and is open every day from 10am till 5pm.
context_section_description: The original building was designed by W G & E Habershon and built in 1855 for James Harvey Insole, who commissioned a modest double-fronted building, named Ely Court. There was also a lodge built on Fairwater Road to house the family's coachman and his family.
  But as the family's fortunes rose, reflecting those of Cardiff itself, two major extensions developed the building into the modern Insole Court. In the 1870s James Harvey commissioned George Robinson and Edwin Seward to change the appearance of the building into the Gothic Revival architecture-led works reminiscent of those of Lord Bute's architect William Burges on Cardiff Castle. These works also included the addition in 1874 of a neo-Gothic tower, similar to the clock tower which Burges had added to the castle in 1869. Insole's tower contained a smoking room at the very top.
  The second development in 1906 - the height of the family's fortune - was undertaken on the instructions of George Frederick Insole (James Harvey's son, usually known as Fred), to extend and modernise the building. Rooms were enlarged and panelled, a new guest wing erected, central heating and electrical distribution inserted, and a large carriage porch was added.
  After World War I, in the light of Winston Churchill's decision to change the firing of the Royal Navy to oil and the loss of many European markets, the South Wales coal industry began to decline. The family's fortunes suffered a similar downturn, with the deaths of Fred, in 1917, and his son Claud, in 1918 whilst on war service in France. The house passed to Eric, who lived there with his mother, Jessy, and sister, Violet (who died in 1932).
  In the 1930s Cardiff Council were looking to develop an orbital road system around the city. To facilitate the creation of Western Avenue the Council bought the entire 57 acres (23 ha)-acre estate in 1932 for £26,250 under a compulsory purchase order. The remaining family members were allowed to continue living in the house as tenants. However, the Council redeveloped much of the estate lands as housing, leaving just the mansion and ornamental gardens. With World War II fast approaching, the last of the Insoles - Eric and his mother Jessy - finally vacated the property in March 1938.
  During World War II Insole Court was the regional Air Raid Warden HQ, and housed the Royal Observer Corps and Auxiliary Fire Service for Cardiff district. After the war, the upper floors were converted into self-contained flats and let to council employees and others. The ground floor housed a branch library, and a wide variety of adult education classes and community activities.
  The Insole Court house became Grade II* heritage listed in 1992, the Stables Grade II and the gardens included on the Welsh Register of Historic Gardens as Grade II*.
caption: Part of the ornamental garden at Insole Court
exif: {}