23877

 

II  

Designated  

07/08/2000  

07/08/2000  

Old house and outbuildings at north side of Wyn Llan  

 

Denbighshire  

Betws Gwerfil Goch  

Corwen  

Bettws Gwerfil Goch  

303253  

346638  

 

At the north of the village of Bettws Gwerfil Goch, standing to the east side of the road to Melin y wig.  

Agriculture and Subsistence  

 

The range slopes down from the road eastwards. The upper three bays of this range, adjacent to the road, are the original structure, possibly of the C16/17, consisting of a heated two-bay domestic part and a single bay byre, but an original internal communication between house and byre cannot be demonstrated. This building, of a derivative type related to the classic longhouse, has been altered to increase the distinction of house and byre by the insertion of a stone cross wall on the line of truss 2. This wall is evidently secondary as it clashes with an external doorway. The latter doorway has been altered to a window. The building was extended eastwards at an early date by the addition of a two-bay barn and a still later two-bay byre or stable with loft.  

A house with agricultural outbuildings in tandem, in local rubble stonework. Roof now of steel sheeting carried on the original trusses, purlins and crosswalls. All ground storey access and most of the windows are in the long south-facing 'front' elevation. The first part of the structure consisting of three bays is about 14 metres in length. Square window, two wide doorways, and a raised window through the eaves in the first two domestic bays; two door openings, one converted to a window, in the third bay which is interpreted as a byre. The barn is slightly narrower, about 8 metres in length, and stands on a slightly altered alignment. The change in masonry at the junction is apparent at both sides. Large doorway in the first bay (bay four) and a small rear window opposite. Its second bay (bay five) has a loft opening and a blocked small opening below. A still later lofted byre or stable of two bays extends a further 5 metres east and has outside stone stairs leading to the loft door in the gable end. The change in masonry indicative of a different date is again apparent at both sides. This part has a door and window with cyclopean lintels and a small loft window above; at rear a small square window under a timber lintel and a small loft window above.  

The original three-bay building has stone gable walls. Truss 1 consists of tie, collar and truncated king post. Truss 2 consists of tie and two raking struts, and there is an inserted cross wall of stone beneath. There is a large hearth in the gable wall against the road, with a remnant of a bread oven at its left. Additional cross beams suggest the addition of informal lofting.  

An exceptional survival of a long-house-derived range, of house and cowhouse in line, subsequently extended to form a long linerar agricultural range: an important early survival of a building type becoming increasingly scarce in this region.