13921

 

II  

Designated  

06/10/1977  

28/11/2003  

Great House Farmhouse and attached Barn  

 

Cardiff  

St. Fagans  

Cardiff  

Michaelston-super-Ely  

311779  

176257  

W  

Off the road south from St Fagans and about 1000m from the Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin.  

Domestic  

 

Original structure of present building was probably a two-unit C16 to C17 house. The first build is to the right of the main elevation; this seems to date from around 1580-1600, with the kitchen added to the left in the mid C17, say 1625-60 and the barn added beyond that, possibly at the same time or later. RCAHMW record it as a 'two-unit, chimney-backing-on-the-entry house with hall and heated outer room' of a late C16 type, but it is also recorded as being medieval, but it is not clear whether this just means fragmentary masonry remains. Having an external stair turret from the beginning, which the RCAHMW suggests, is usually indicative of a post 1600 date in a house of this class. None of this was clear at resurvey when the house was only seen externally on the main elevation.  

Thick stone walls, externally with whitewashed rendering. Gable roof with Welsh slate cladding and wavy ridge; formerly thatched. The barn is also whitewashed rubblestone with a Welsh slate roof. From west (right) to east, north-east elevation has features of an C18 to C19 type on the first floor and late C20 factory joinery on the ground floor. Firstly, a sash window with 8 over 8 panes on first floor, secondly a sash window with 6 over 6 panes on first floor, thirdly a sash window with 6 over 6 panes above a low 6-panelled door with top two panels glazed, fourthly, a 2-light casement with small panes on ground floor, fifthly a sash window with 6 over 6 panes on first floor, sixthly a 2-light casement with small panes on ground floor and, seventhly a blank space of walling as far as the eastern angle, this being the added kitchen. Beyond this comes the rectangular barn with a lower roofline. This has a small cart entry near the house and a vertical slit vent at the far end; blind gable wall. Fairly low pitch roof to both house and barn. The house ridge carries two stacks, a plain central one with two flues for the hall and upper room and a kitchen stack on the left gable with two diamond set shafts; the stack for the outer room no longer breaches the roofline. The garden before this elevation is enclosed by a stone rubble wall and interrupted by a gateway with C19 piers with capping. South-west elevation has a two-storey wing built against it with an outshut built in turn against its north-west wall; formerly a first floor doorway in north-west wall; present entrance in south-east side. This elevation was not seen at resurvey. Additional two-storey unit at each end.  

Interior not available at resurvey, but the existing list description agrees with RCAHMW. Their plan shows a 2-room house with a cross passage behind the hall hearth and an outer room divided from the cross passage by a timber screen. The Hall has two chamfered cross beams with broach stops and on first floor above the outer room there is a corbelled fireplace with broach stops to the stone jambs. The stone dog-leg stair is entered through the south wall of the Hall. Additional two-storey unit at east end with fireplace and oven; first floor room retains chamfered beams with lambs tongue stops, all this suggests 1625-60. Roof trusses are principal rafter with mortice-and-tenon jointed collar. The interior of the barn was not seen but its profile suggests that it too is C17, and the low roof pitch suggests a queen strut roof, which would be expected in a barn of this class.  

Included as an important C17 farmhouse which, despite alteration, retains characteristic detail.