15342

 

II*  

Designated  

31/01/1995  

31/01/1995  

Lower Rabber  

 

Powys  

Gladestry  

 

Gladestry  

325138  

254348  

 

Lies 2.4 km E of Gladestry close to the English border and to N of Huntington Castle.  

Domestic  

 

 

Late medieval, complete cruck-framed hall house, C16/C17 alterations. One-and-a-half storeys. Rubble stone front wall, original framed rear and end walls with weatherboards. Stone tile roof, central stone stack with stepped top courses and modern brick upper. Small eaves dormer to front. Two lean-to rear extensions one with stud wall C18, the other modern breeze block. Modern large- paned windows, canopy over front door in left hand corner.  

Four full height cruck trusses survive, probably defining the original extent of the house and dividing it into a two-bay hall with a service bay at the NE end. There is also an extra truss, visible in the upper storey and roof space only, which was set between the open truss of the hall and the closed truss dividing off the service bay. All the trusses are smoke blackened and have butted apex, two have apex yokes. The central hall truss is archbraced with double chamfered and broach stopped soffit. Above the collar it is cusped to form a quatrefoil and two trefoils (partially cut through to form a later attic walkway). Two rows of purlins, chamfered in the upper hall bay and long, wide-set pairs of straight windbraces trenched into the backs of the purlins. Some original smoke blackened rafters. The three closed trusses have substantial square panel framing, in the hall/service bay partition wall are two original doorways with chamfers and mason's mitres. The original partition wall dividing the service bay into two rooms survives as does part of the rear wall framing. The end wall of the service bay has a blocked door and window. C16/17 alterations included subdividing the hall - square panel framed partitions with segmented headed door frame - and inserting a newel stair and ceilings - deep chamfered wall beams and closely set joists. A large inserted stack with back to back fireplaces is in a curious position and probably belongs to a later phase of remodelling when a lean-to was added to the rear and two new doorways were roughly cut through to the service end rooms. The fireplaces have ashlar jambs and moulded corbels, possibly re-used from the ruins of nearby Huntingdon Castle. The ceiling of the service rooms is of rough joist construction, trimmed for back stairs (since removed).  

Listed Grade II* as an exceptionally interesting and complete medieval cruck-framed house.