21163

 

II*  

Designated  

17/01/1963  

17/12/1998  

Castle Farm farmhouse  

 

Powys  

Talybont-on-Usk  

 

Pencelli  

309470  

224930  

 

On the E side of Pencelli village surrounded on 3 sides by the former castle earthworks with the canal bordering these to N.  

Domestic  

 

Pencelli castle is documented from 1215 and belonged to Ralph de Mortimer from the mid C13. The medieval castle comprised the mound still N of the present house and the footings of the bailey wall and a rectangular tower still traceable. In C16 Pencelli belonged to the Herberts of Montgomery and the present house is dated 1583 on door. Remodelled in C18 to create a Georgian frontage and drawn by Buck and Buck in 1741. Theophilus Jones traces the ownership of the castle over many centuries and describes it in 1809 thus: 'some of the walls and rooms of the old mansion of the Herberts...still continue, but great additions and alterations have from time to time been made; it is now a farmer's dwelling'. Lead downpipes dated 1926 suggest some repair /remodelling at this time.  

Medium sized house, part of complex of buildings within the medieval castle enclosure. Double pile plan with central porch entrance. Built of stone rubble with stone tile roof with flat stone coping; corniced end stacks, front and rear axial stacks. Two storeys and attic and cellar. Main frontage has an embattled parapet across 2/3 of its width; below is a 3 window range of 6/6 pane horned sashes, 2 similar to ground floor under cambered arch left and in blocked arch right. Central gabled entrance porch with steep pitched stone tiled roof, prominent kneelers and flat tile coping, very narrow pointed arched moulded doorway with broach stops, flagged floor. Moulded Tudor-arched main doorway with decorative spandrels, studded ledged and battened door. Return right overlooking garden shows the double pile plan with two rectangular attic windows, the glazing renewed; blocked or relieving arches some with small windows, renewed glazing but hoodmoulds; large ground floor segmental arched head to tripartitite sash to left; plain central door under stone lintel; arrow loop to ground floor right. Rear elevation has more 6/6 pane horned sash windows on 3 storeys, cellar opening, chamfered round arched lights left. Side elevation left now the main entrance has a lower whitened two storey and cellar lean-to with mostly 4 pane windows some cambered arched and glazed awning supported on 4 cast iron piers; large stack right. Large hopper dated 1926.  

Interior not inspected at time of survey (2nd December 1997).  

Listed II* as a fine early post medieval farmhouse incorporating earlier material and on an important historic site. Group value with the other listed buildings at Castle Farm.