2068

 

II  

Designated  

01/05/1952  

31/01/2001  

Coldbrook Farmhouse including attached barns  

 

Monmouthshire  

Raglan  

Raglan  

Twyn-y-Sheriff  

340347  

205084  

 

Situated on high ground 1.5 kms from Llandenny. Approached by a long private track entered off a by-road from the Usk road at Gwehelog. The Farmhouse is raised up from the level of the farmyard and enclosed within a stone garden wall.  

Domestic  

 

Farmhouse, mid to later C16 altered in late C17. The plain facade with C20 windows was altered in C19. Interpreted by Fox and Raglan as, possibly, the solar added to a medieval hall, the hall then replaced by a kitchen in the late C17. Significant as one of a group of 'regional' houses where the woodwork was enriched with mouldings. The plan in Fox & Raglan p 49 shows the earlier part as a hall with winding stair by the chimney and small rear off-centre 2-storey projection with unheated parlour. There were 5 and 8 light timber mullion windows to front, and one 6-light to rear, the latter blocked, the other 2 identified by interior lintels only. The highly individual and complex mouldings illustrated by Fox & Ralglan compare with mid C16 work in England (Totnes Guildhall 1553). Ourtbuildings added to NE, but at a lower level, and includes a C17 blocked doorway within.  

Farmhouse, whitewashed roughcast over rubble stone with slate roof and end stacks, stone larger stack to left, small stack raised in brick to right. Two-storey, 3-window range with rear projection. Front has C20 porch, 3 C20 casement pairs above, triple casement and casement pair either side of door. Narrow slot window set higher to left of door. Rubble stone gable ends. Rear parlour projection is 2-storey gable which has ornate moulded oak window frame (illustrated in Fox & Raglan), chamfered, with mason-mitred joints, reeded mouldings like those of beam within, and formerly 5-light, mullions lost, replaced by casement pair. C20 first floor window. One C20 window over lean-to left, one C20 window each floor to right. Outbuildings attached to the N, at a considerably lower level, whitewashed rubble stone with asbestos sheet roofs. At left end remnant of outside steps up to eaves-breaking loft door, then two ground floor doors with timber lintels and one small square window under eaves. An irregular joint suggests that barn to right is added. One ground floor window, one loft window to right over vent loop, then big full-height double-doors. Two loops to right. Lower added outbuilding to right, rubble stone with one door.  

Interior not available for inspection at time of resurvey (December 1999). The Fox and Raglan plan shows the ground floor of the older part with winding stair to left of fireplace, 6 heavy beams, partition under 4th, but the cross partiton that would have divided 2 small rooms removed. Entry from hall to parlour from corner door next to the partition. Small parlour had one main beam. An inserted stone wall divided the older part from the late C17 kitchen which also had heavy beams. First floor plan shows beams and stone wall as below but first floor had the partition but also a cross partition (with heavy oak pier) to make 4 rooms in the old part. There were 2 doors to the stair, one Tudor arched to reach the attic. Hall partition retained traces of a 'high seat' facing the fireplace, which had 2 stone corbels over. A NE end entry door was blocked by the addition of the barn to the NE, but as the levels between house and barn were so different it may not have been the primary entry. The kitchen end was late C17 with notched collar trusses. Also late C17 was the stone cross wall, and it was speculated that this was built because a timber-framed hall was demolished, of which the older part of the house was the solar. The older part contained highly enriched woodwork notably to the ceiling beams and joists of the hall: beam illustrated (Fig. 23, plate 9c) with four bead moulds converging at ends, and slightly different wave moulds with converging stops to joists. Similar bead mouldings were on the parlour window frame and deeply recessed parlour doorway, with Tudor door-head in rectangular frame. The post and panel partition had a wave mould to the posts. There were mouldings also to the panelled recess of the parlour window. Slots in the lintel of the hall front SE window identified 8 4" lights originally and a blocked NW window was uncovered, of 6 lights. The mullions of the 6-light window were wave moulded like joists. Less important rooms had hollow-chamfered beams with stepped hollow stops (Plate 9d) or flat chamfers with diagonal stops. There was a plain diamond mullion window in the loft. The roof trusses had tenoned collars. Barn has 5-bay roof with triple purlins and tie-beam trusses with angled struts. Opposed rear door to barn has oak frame. At left end of barn a C17 oak-framed door with pyramid stops and a blocked window.  

Included as a farmhouse of c1600 altered in late C17, with interior moulded woodwork of unusual elaboration.