4209

 

II*  

Designated  

19/01/1952  

26/06/1998  

Bodwrdda  

 

Gwynedd  

Aberdaron  

Pwllheli  

Bodwrdda  

218874  

327194  

 

Situated in Daron valley, down long drive running E and S from B4413 from junction 2 km SW of Rhoshirwaun.  

Domestic  

 

Gentry house, C16 extended in early C17 (dated 1621). The house was owned by John Bodwrda in C16, Hugh Bodwrda in 1621 and passed to the Edwards family of Nanhoron in 1749. Illustrated substantially as now in 1849. The use of brick in the wings added 1621 is exceptional in the region. It is suggested that the W half of the main range is C16 altered, the E half and the wings added by 1621, possibly in two phases.  

Gentry house, rubble stone main range with C17 red brick wings, renewed slate roofs and stone stacks to main range, red brick to wings. Two storeys and attic, C-plan. Long main range running E-W and formal N elevation created by adding projecting brick wings each side of older centre remodelled to match. Uniform painted stone mullion windows with flush ovolo-moulded depressed-arched heads, some leaded lights and flat hoodmoulds. Three-window centre is remodelled, with the windows not quite aligned. Centre depressed-arched flush moulded doorcase with incised rosettes in spandrels, hoodmould and half-glazed door, 2-light window each side at slightly varied heights, 3 x 2-light windows above, the left one with 20-pane sash replacing mullion and the centre one set slightly left, but in line with eaves brick gabled dormer with similar 2-light window. Wings are red brick with rubble stone plinths and similar windows. Return elevations to court have similar centre eaves dormers but blank windows and one-window range of similar windows set towards outer angle, all blank except for inserted 20-pane sash in first floor of W wing. Gable ends are matching with close eaves, painted quoins, diamond-shaped gable plaques, formerly with 'HB1621' painted on. 3-light mullion windows, 2 to main floors, one in gable. Both wings have outer side wall large brick stack, W side stack rebuilt. Blocked 2-light ground floor window to outer W wall. Wings have hollow-moulded eaves cornices. Main range has small gable end stacks, stone to W, brick to E (formerly tall, cut down since 1964) and tall wallface stone stack left of centre on S front. Windows are small and scattered, 3 C17 2-light windows each floor, similar to those on N front. First floor has 2 to right of stack, one to left, the outer ones with inserted casements, the other with mullion removed and 16-pane sash. Ground floor has 3 similar windows, one to right with C20 window replacing all but hood, aligned with window above, the next to right of sash above and the third to left of window above. Raking buttress in line with stack and small C16 segmental pointed window just to right, with inserted 4-pane window. Small C16 single light to extreme left with segmental pointed head. There are possible C16 blocked openings above the two C16 ground floor windows, the left one formerly with remains of a 4-light timber mullion window. At extreme right is small added bakehouse with S stone stack, W door and window. E gable end has stone stairs to loft door left, brick-headed. Door to extreme right with brick head, 9-pane sash above and small loft light above, with 2 projecting slate slabs under sill, perhaps for former pulley. No quoins, suggesting that stone gable and brick NE wing are contemporary. W gable end has blocked chamfered segmental-pointed light at mid height and first floor left later C16 recessed moulded 2-light window, with hood, missing mullion, and with 9-pane sash. 12-pane sash with slab lintel below, slightly to right. Blocked light in gable.  

Not available for inspection. Said to have cellars under E part, early C19 stair. Projecting chimneybreast in room W of stair, on S wall, and stop-chamfered beams and joists. Post and panel partition between this room and W room with original doorway. W room is divided by another partition, perhaps reset. Moulded C17 doorway into NW wing, panelled walls to NW room with ovolo mouldings to posts and frieze of foliate half-roundels. First floor has some reused C17 panelling and some C17 doorcases. Attic stairs in SW and SE corners. Four roof trusses over W end are C16, arch-braced collar-trusses with raking struts over collars, once open to floor below. Those over E are plain collar-trusses. W roof may have been raised by 0.3m in C17 and an arch-braced truss in the NW wing may be C16 re-used. There is said to be a C16 segmental-pointed doorway from the house into the SE outbuilding, which does not accord with the supposed C17 date for the E end.  

Graded II* as a major C16 to C17 gentry house, exceptional in the region for the early use of brick.