10956

 

II*  

Designated  

08/07/1966  

20/07/1999  

Neuadd Fawr  

 

Carmarthenshire  

Llanwrda  

Llanwrda  

Llanwrda  

271380  

231666  

 

Situated in village on E bank of the Afon Dulais, with short approach just NE of Pont y Neuadd.  

Domestic  

 

Gentry house of the later C17, sometimes known as Neuadd Lwyd. Little recorded history. Owned in the late C16 or early C17 by Bennett Fortescue, whose daughter married Thomas Powell of Pentre Meurig, grandfather of the judge Sir John Powell 1633-96. In 1767 John Price was occupant, in 1837 Charles Bishop of Dolgarreg, Myddfai, was owner, and Eleanor Jones tenant. In 1867 the tenant was John Morgan. In increasingly poor condition since 1970s, derelict 1999. T-plan with centre entrance, hall and parlour each side and stair in E half of rear wing. The fine stair with turned balusters appears to relate to the surviving stair in Pentre Meurig, Llanwrda, which has similar balusters but openwork pendant finials under newels.  

Gentry house, whitewashed rubble stone, with slate eaves roofs and three gable-end square stone stacks with moulded caps. W end stack is on a massive exposed chimney breast with offsets. T-plan, 2-storeys, 3-window S front, 6-pane horned sashes with centre door. Timber lintels with rough dripstones over. One original timber cross-window survives to ground floor right. Small barge-boarded gable over centre window, with blank panel. Gabled centre porch with square-headed entry, panelled late C17 door with iron studs to framing and stone seats within. E gable has loft door to first floor left, window with timber lintel to ground floor right with signs of blocked openings above. Large external chimneybreast corbelled out on stone corbels. This chimneybreast narrows with offsets at first floor level but widens at attic level. W gable has door to left of chimney breast, bread oven right. Rear wall of main range to right of rear wing has one upper window to right, one lower casement pair window to left, in angle to rear wing. Rear wing has W casement over 9-pane sash, vent loop blocked to right of sash. Large N end stack on external chimney breast with 3 off-sets to right side. To left of stack a damaged timber cross-window lighting stair and timber 2-light basement window below. E side of wing has a timber lintel set into wall to left. There was an added section left of rear wing, demolished in mid to later C20. Rear wall of main range has ground floor window in former door and small window above.  

Not accessible January 1999 but photographs in National Monuments Record show boarded partitions to entrance hall, beam and joist ceiling to hall to left. Chamfered beams. Fine stair in rear wing with closed string, turned balusters, thick moulded rail and square newels. Dog-leg, in several flights up to attic. Plank door upstairs. Roof has big collar trusses, possibly on tie-beams with pegged mortices to collars.  

Graded II* as an important surviving gentry house of the later C17, apparently still with original staircase and interior features.