8718

 

II*  

Designated  

12/12/1952  

03/09/2004  

Ty Faenor  

 

Powys  

Abbey Cwmhir  

 

Tyfaenor  

307147  

271092  

 

On the E side of a minor road between Abbey Cwmhir and Llananno, approximately 1.7km E of the parish church.  

Domestic  

 

A hunting lodge built in the late C17 for Richard Fowler of Harnage, Shropshire. Part of the house has been used as a Methodist chapel since 1818.  

A rubble-stone house of 2 storeys with attic and basement, renewed slate roof on projecting eaves, with skylights, and slightly splayed gable stacks, each with 3 diagonal shafts. The original entrance is in the NW side, where there is an added porch concealing a shaped wooden door head and original boarded door with strap hinges. Vertical joints in the wall R and L suggest former windows, but the only surviving fenestration is an inserted upper-storey window to the R and inserted basement window lower R of the porch. The NE gable end has 2-light wood-mullioned windows flanking the stack, each of which is blocked behind the frame, except upper R where the window has been removed and infilled with rubble. The 3-window SE, rear elevation, where the ground is lower is near symmetrical. Wood-mullioned windows under stone segmental heads are late C20 replacements in original openings. The central basement doorway is in a later added porch. It is flanked by windows on each side. The lower storey has similar windows R and L, larger to the R, and a similar window upper L, but the upper R-hand window is slightly higher and beneath the eaves. In the centre are 2 narrower stair windows, the upper of which is beneath the eaves. The SW gable end has a half-glazed lean-to porch to the R, to a boarded basement door. In the lower storey is a replacement window to the L.  

The house retains its original symmetrical plan, which was exceptional for the late C17. The entrance opens to a stair hall. The full-height dog-leg stair has fret-cut balusters with square newels and oversized tapering finials. A plainer stair leads down to the basement. Timber-framed partitions are mostly concealed, but close-studding is exposed at attic level. The room L of the entrance has a triangular door head and boarded door with strap hinges. Its fireplace has ovolo-moulded stone jambs and wooden lintel. Two spine beams have run-out stops. The room directly above also has a triangular door head. In the basement kitchen is a wide segmental-headed fireplace with chamfered voussoirs, 2 spine beams, which are corbelled over the fireplace, and a wooden window seat. In the wall of the basement porch is a re-set grave slab to Sarah Griffiths (d1825) and Thomas Griffiths (d 1853) of Ty Faenor, by Stevens.  

Listed grade II* as a fine C17 house especially notable for the retention of its original plan form and detail.