2078

 

II*  

Designated  

19/11/1953  

27/10/2000  

Upper Green  

 

Monmouthshire  

Skenfrith  

Abergavenny  

Llanvair Green  

338748  

219020  

 

Approximately 4km N of Llantilio Crossenny, at the end of a short farm track approached by the minor road which runs N off the B4521 towards Llanfair Green.  

Domestic  

 

The oldest part of the present house is the rear wing which incorporates cruck blades of a probably medieval cruck-framed hall-house. In the early C17, the walls of this timber-framed house were encased in stone, and a floor inserted into the former open hall. Subsequently, in the early C18, a three-storey Renaissance farmhouse was added at right angles to the original house. The former hall-house may then have become a service wing to the C18 house (as a back-kitchen and dairy) or the two buildings may have existed side by side as independent, self-contained dwellings in the same farmstead, so-called ‘unit-system' houses.  

Substantial Renaissance farmhouse. Rubble stone. Rendered S front has hipped slate roof with tile ridge. End-stacks project: left stack is stone, right stack rendered. Three storey, regular front has horned sash windows with shallow stone sills. Second floor has four small 2-pane sashes with segmental arched window heads, and first floor, four larger sashes with flat heads. On ground-floor (off-centre, right) is gabled single- storey entrance porch; segmental arched stone lintel is incised with lines simulating voussoirs. Inner porch has stone benches on each side. 6-panel entrance door (upper four panels fielded, bottom 2 flush). E elevation has centre stack; second floor (left) is small 2-pane window and ground floor (right) a small lean-to shed with boarded door. W elevation, on ground floor (left) has similar lean-to, and top floor (right) a similar 2-pane window. Projecting at right angles from back of house is a one-and-a-half storey L-shaped block (the original range) housing kitchen and dairy. E elevation has (l to r) entrance doorway (to cross passage) with C20 boarded door, projecting bread oven with tile roof and low stone stack, and C20 boarded door with small upper window (to former dairy). N elevation has straight flight of stone steps leading to boarded upper doorway with gabled canopy; ground-floor (right) is a 3+3+3 pane window with chamfered mullions. W elevation has end-gable of dairy (to left); square window on first floor has centre mullion, iron stanchions and boarded inner shutters; side wall (to right) has square opening with boarded shutter, and a 3+3 pane casement with shallow timber lintel on first floor, and a C20 boarded door on ground floor.  

Front entrance of Renaissance house opens into small staircase lobby with principal ground-floor rooms to left and right. Ground floor room (right) has moulded ceiling cornice and two C18 round-arched wall cupboards, each with fluted keyblock and fluted pilasters. Cupboard to right has doors with fielded panels and shelf fronts are shaped. Ground floor room (left) has massive square section ceiling beams; an eared wooden fireplace surrounded with moulded shelf and C19 cast iron range. Opening off this room is a smaller third room with moulded ceiling cornice, dado, and round-arched cupboard-recess with keyblock and shaped shelves. Ground floor rooms have 4-panel doors with C18 L-hinges. Fine C18 oak quarter turn staircase with landing, rises on two floors and has closed string, square newel post, plain balusters and moulded rail. First floor bedroom has 6-panel door with fielded panels. Roof with collar trusses, 3 centre bays plus hips, and two tiers of purlins. Rear service wing has cross passage entry, also accessible from ground-floor of main house. Kitchen has inserted floor with one chamfered and one square-section ceiling beam and exposed joists. Plank and batten door leads to former dairy with stone flagged floor. Attic loft contains evidence of former medieval cruck house of four bays. Remnants of three cruck trusses survive. Each chamfered cruck blade has been sawn off above the tie beam, and the tie beam itself has been cut through, probably in early C17, to create a habitable attic. The inserted C17 roof has open trusses, and the feet of the principals are morticed into the projecting spurs of the tie beams.  

Listed as II* as a substantial Renaissance farmhouse with exceptionally well-preserved interior including fine C18 wall cupboards; of special interest also for the retention of a probably medieval hall-house in its rear wing.