21518

 

II  

Designated  

19/03/1999  

29/03/2000  

Tile Farm (Ysgubor Kemeys)  

 

Monmouthshire  

Caerwent  

Chepstow  

Llanvair Discoed  

344311  

192967  

 

On Grey Hill, about 600m to north of Llanvair Discoed, on west side of lane.  

Domestic  

 

This is a c1600 gable entry' regional style' house of classic type, as described by Fox and Raglan, which has been very little altered. The main front has been changed and refenestrated and its original appearance will only be revealed when the render is fully stripped off, all the current openings appear very rough and unfinished. The internal features, floors, beams, lintels etc. are almost entirely decayed, but their nature remains evident. The barn was added in probably the late C18 or early C19, but it has been changed by the insertion of the house kitchen and scullery in the early C20. The stable, pig-sty and bake-house are all C19 additions. The Welsh name, Ysgubor Kemys (Kemys Barn) derives from the Kemeys family. In the early C17, the manor of Llanvair Discoed was sold to Rhys Kemeys, fourth son of David Kemeys of Cefn-Mabli. Rhys built a house for himself in the village in 1635, (qv The Courthouse).  

The farmhouse is of two storeys and attic with the later agricultural buildings attached in-line. Random rubble limestone (smooth rendered front now partially removed), with a distinct batter to the lower walls. The house has a slate roof with end stone chimneys with tall diagonal stacks; the left hand one is corbelled for the first floor, the right hand one heats the ground floor room. Two modern windows to the upper floor. On the ground floor there is a doorway (off-set to left) which has a very small window to its left, a modern window to its right, and then a second small square window. To the left of the house is an attached barn in stone and brick with a doorway, a modern window to the right, vent slit to left, and a tiled roof. To the left again there is a small stone unit with an old pantile roof, and then pigsties. To the right of the house is an attached stable, and at right angles to that, a bake-house. Further small attached block towards the road. The rear of house has a single window at the eaves, otherwise there is only the blocked window on the ground floor, see Interior. At the north east corner of the house are two small windows lighting the stair, the upper window has ovolo-moulded mullions, the lower window is partially blocked.  

The single ground floor room in the main part of house had C20 wooden screening forming an interior porch, but this has mostly been removed (July 1999). Stop-chamfered beams (joists ceiled, but plaster now largely removed); large C17 fireplace with winding stair to left. Blocked 4-light window to rear; apparent blocked doorway in the north west corner. At first floor level, C19 partitions, again mostly now removed. In the attic there is an old oak roof with principal rafter trusses with 2 tiers of purlins. The barn contains the house kitchen and scullery which were constructed with brick partition walls, and these hide to some extent the base of the corbelled chimney stack for the first floor fireplace. The bake-house retains its C19 bake oven.  

Listed for its architectural interest as an exceptionally unaltered early C17 Monmouthshire farmhouse with agricultural additions in the C18 and C19.