The earliest history of the tower is uncertain. Both Cadw and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales date it to the 14th century, and both agree that the site was developed in the 16th century into a larger Elizabethan manor,[1] of which the tower would have been a part.[2][3] It has been suggested that it was also a part of an earlier, and larger, castle, although this is disputed and current archaeological thinking discounts the possibility.[4] The tower was subject to substantial alteration in the 16th century, and further reconfigured in the 18th century.[a] It stands on an artificial mound, with a water feature to the west, which has been variously described as a moat,[2] and as an element of flood defences.[6]
In the later 20th century the tower was the country home of the musician and critic, George Melly,[7] who did much to support the development of the Brecon Jazz Festival.[8] For Melly, the tower's attractions included its proximity to the River Usk where he could indulge his passion for fly fishing. Joan Bakewell, a close friend of Melly's wife, Diana, recorded the many fellow fishing enthusiasts whom Melly entertained at the tower, although the limited number of bedrooms required Jeremy Paxman to sleep in a tent in the grounds.[9] Melly, a discerning art collector, sold pictures by René Magritte and Pablo Picasso bought for low prices in the 1950s and 1960s, to fund the purchase of a mile-long stretch of riverbank along the Usk behind the tower, facilitating his access to the river.[10] Another friend of Diana Melly was the writer Bruce Chatwin. Much of his novel, On the Black Hill, was written at Scethrog and it is dedicated to Diana.[b][12][13] Melly sold the tower in 1999 when declining health meant he was no longer able to fish.[7] It remains a private home.[14]
The tower is a Grade I listed building.[2] A barn to the north, with 16th century origins, has a Grade II listing.[15] Robert Scourfield and Richard Haslam, in their Powys volume in the Buildings of Wales series, note that Scethrog is one of only two such tower houses in Powys, the other being that overlooking the square in Talgarth.[16]
Notes
^The Vernacular Architecture Group gives tree-ring dates for timbers used in the structure to around 1580 and considers the building was largely reconstructed and expanded in the early 17th century.[5]
^Chatwin was an inveterate house-guest, his friend, the fashion designer Loulou de la Falaise, called him a 'pique assiette' (plate thief). He stayed with a number of friends while writing On the Black Hill, leading to an argument between his publisher, Tom Maschler, and George Melly as to whether the majority of the book had been written at Scethrog or at Maschler's cottage at Llanthony.[11]
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