23847

 

II  

Designated  

24/11/1982  

31/07/2000  

Gelli Farm Cottage  

 

Neath Port Talbot  

Glyncorrwg  

 

Gelli  

287371  

196188  

 

Approximately 1.2km E of Cymmer, on high ground overlooking the Afan valley and reached by farm road on the E side of the A4107 Cymmer to Treorchy road.  

Domestic  

 

 

Gelli Farm Cottage occupies the N wing and attached cottages.  

Not inspected.  

Listed as a sub-medieval farm retaining early plan form and detail and with notable C19 improvements, and as an integral component of an impressive farm group including a bakehouse and barn.  

Gelli Farm and Gelli Farm Cottage A longhouse built in the early C17 with a hall, passage and cow house, and a separate bakehouse providing additional accommodation for farm hands. Further sleeping space was provided by creating an attic over the cow house reached from the main stairs. A N wing was added in the early C18, possibly in 1717 when other improvements to the farm are dated. This was 2 storeys with a loft reached by ladder from the main house. A parlour, with integral dairy and a new stair, were added c1820 (the date based on other dated improvements to the farm buildings) on the uphill side of the hall. Finally, the N wing was extended by the addition of 2 cottages, which appear to be shown on the Llangynwyd Tithe map of 1842, although there is some evidence in the building that the cottages were constructed by altering and extending an earlier building, while the present cottages are late C19 in character. In the later C20 the dairy was demolished and a small lean-to built in is place. The house was also divided into 2 dwellings, the N wing and cottages becoming a separate dwelling from the main farmhouse. A 2-storey house of rubble stone and slate roof, consisting of hall and cow house range aligned E-W on a slope with the parlour at the upper (E) end and byre at the lower end, and a long N wing. Windows are mainly renewed in earlier openings. The main range has stone stacks at the R end and R of centre. Facing S the wall is rendered and painted cream. The doorway to the cross passage (now a kitchen) is L of centre and is flanked by an outshut on the L side and lean-to on the R side, both added. However, the end walls of these, defining the ends of the cow house, are original and are evidence of a former pentice. The doorway has a drip stone and window above. To the R of the lean-to is a C19 sash window to the hall, with a window above it under the wall plate, and further R a parlour window under a drip stone. The outshut to the cow house has a central doorway flanked by windows. In the upper gable end is a window upper L under a drip stone. The downhill gable end has an inserted loft doorway. Facing N the cow house wall retains traces of limewash, has doorways at the R end under lintel and drip stone and a segmental-headed doorway to the centre. The window to the L is inserted in place of the original cross-passage doorway. A loft doorway is upper L under a wooden lintel while a larger inserted window is upper R. (A skylight is inserted upper L.) The original N wing is pebble dashed and has a slate roof with roughcast stack. Facing W, it has a doorway to the R of centre and window under a drip stone to the L, a similar window under drip stone upper R and window L. Set back to the L are a single-fronted then a double-fronted cottage, now a single dwelling with the N wing, with slate roofs and roughcast stacks. The cottages have windows inserted in original segmental-headed openings. The cottage to the R has a stone gabled porch, the cottage to the L a larger added gabled porch. Projecting stone bands in the front wall are possibly related to an earlier building, suggesting that the cottages were converted from an earlier use. The cottages have outshuts behind under catslide roofs, with added skylights.