History of the House and the Dol Llys Estate

Nearly a mile to the North East of Llanidloes town commanding a delightful view of the Vale of Severn and the rich and varied scenery on its banks. The earliest record of anyone living at Dol Llys was Gruffydd, or Griffith, the fifth son of Owen Gwynn of Llanidloes. It is likely he acquired the property through his marriage to Angharrad, daughter and heiress of Evan ab Jenkyn Glyn ab Evan Lloyd, but leaving behind him only 3 daughters, co-heiresses, the name of Gwynn soon ceased to be connected with Dol Llys. The estate decended through the female line with the family name changing to Owen around 1660 and was passed onto the Mears in 1750. A very influential family who moved to the locality from Breacon and increased the size of the estate.

Maurice Mears who died on 23rd August 1807 aged 73 years made a very peculiar will which was prepared by Mr. Stephens a local solicitor. In it Mr. Mears named eleven individuals, who upon certain conditions were entitled to inherit the property. His lawyer suggested that he should add an additional name to 'make it a complete dozen'. Mr. Mears decided to take up the suggestion and told the solicitor to add either his own name or that of his son. The son's name was added, and strange as it may seem, the other eleven died prematurely and Stephens junior, a young lawyer, inherted the property and without delay changed his name to Mears.

Shortly after inherting the estate George Mears (previously George Stephens) built the house at Dol Llys between 1808 - 1813.

George Mears died on 25th April 1836 at the age of 66 and the property was divided between his brother the Rev. John Stephens, vicar of Llandinam and his son George, who suceeded at DolLlys but died at the early age of 34. The property was left to George Brookes Mears who in turn sold the estate to Edward Morris of Oxen in 1865.  

During the 2nd World War Dol Llys Hall became the home for St Wilfred's Boys School which was re-located from Seaford in Sussex and housed between 50 and 60 boys under their headmaster 'Pip' George Pearson. Later the Hall became a Council run residential home for older people for several decades. The property had been left empty for a number of years before it was purchased by 5 adventurers who formed the current Dol Llys Housing Co-operative in 1992.

Dol Llys Hall is a picturesque Gothic country house in the style of John Nash; roughly T-plan. It has 2 storey scribed render elevations and a hipped slate roof with very wide boarded eaves and  slate hung chimney stacks. The inside reveals some unusual Gothic detail including 6 panel Gothic doors, a cantilevered staircase with wrought iron balustrade of ogee arches and concave sided diamonds; fluted newel post and carved tread ends. The L-shaped dining room has a 17th centuary style panelled ceiling with pendants; a deep corniche at 3/4 height with carved fruit and flowers that were originally coloured; and an Arts and Crafts inglenook fully panelled with a bracketed plate rack over a carved chimney piece. One of the upstairs rooms has an unusual chimney piece enriched with detatched fluted columns and swags and winged lions.