5137

 

II  

Designated  

19/06/1990  

19/06/1990  

Bryn Mawr Farmhouse  

 

Gwynedd  

Dolgellau  

 

 

272852  

316453  

 

Situated on steeply rising ground below a rocky knoll and reached by a farm track some l.5 km from the junction with the Cregennan Road.  

Domestic  

 

Built c1617 as storeyed regional house for Rees Lewis with a dormer house or Tyddyn-y-Traian to front. Rear kitchen wing of c1750, and rebuilding of front and N end cl800. Rowland Ellis, grandson of Rees Lewis lived at Bryn Mawr. He became an influential member of the Society of Friends and emigrated to Pennsylvania in l686. He died there in l731 leaving a large patrimony to found an educational seminary which developed into the famous college of Bryn Mawr.  

Two storey and cellar, 3 window house. Coursed rubble masonry. Moderately pitched slate roof, cavetto eaves cornice, plain verges. Tall rectangular stone stacks, water tabling. Pediment to attic with blocked occulus, (held clock in C19). Shallow upper sashes to 9 pane lst floor windows, stone lintels. Similar windows to ground floor. Central doorway, stone lintel, part glazed door. 12 pane sash to lst floor right of N gable end, similar to ground floor left. Rear elevation with 9 pane sash window to ground floor left, formerly doorway, stone lintel. 12 pane window to centre. Mid Cl8 rubble lean-to outshot to right, slate roof. Features to N, loft window over ground floor window; stone lintels, modern frames doorway to right, stone lintel, plank door. S gable end of house has lst floor window/door to higher external ground level. There are the substantial remains of an early terraced garden to the W of the house, incorporating later burials.  

Stop chamfered transverse ceiling beams, contemporary joists. Deep timber bressumer with broach stops to chamfer, spiral stairwell to right, stairs collapsed. Modern plank and muntin partition. Stop chamfered ceiling beams to lst floor. 4 bay roof, 2 original Cl7 trusses. Through purlin collar and tie beam trusses with crossed decorative upper struts. Inscription in Welsh to foot of front principal of centre truss reads: "Y TU HWN YN Y FLWYT 1617 REES LEWIS AI GWNAETH". Truss over N end dates from c1800 rebuild, cruder tie beam truss with lower angle struts. Original purlins turned on edge to raise roof. Cambered bressumer to Cl8 lean-to, bread oven to left. Half-truss to heated loft.