25032

 

II  

Designated  

19/03/2001  

19/03/2001  

Red House Farmhouse  

 

Monmouthshire  

Whitecastle  

Monmouth  

Llangattock-vibon-avel  

343963  

215098  

 

In an isolated position off a small lane connecting Onen to Newcastle.  

Domestic  

 

This building is one of a number of examples in this area of C17 or early C18 enlargement by the addition of a 2-storey range across one end of an earlier and smaller house (which in this case appears to have been a cruck-framed open hall). Others include Pen-y-fedw (Llangattock-vibon-avel), Graig House and Trebella (Cross Ash), and Steps Farm (Rockfield).  

A farmhouse of two very distinct building phases, probably earlier-C16 and late-C17 or early C18; recently altered and renovated. The walls are roughcast and painted cottage-pink and the roofs of Welsh blue slate except on the front elevation which has graduated grey stone slates. T-plan. The earlier part is a 3-bay range on a roughly NE/SW axis, originally cruck-framed and single-storeyed but adapted at an early date as 1½ storeys, and enlarged (probably in the C19) by a lean-to extension on its NW side. It now serves as the rear service wing to the later part, which is a 5-bay, 3-windowed 2-storey range built across its SW end. The main range has a plinth and a broad band over the ground floor, both carried round. Its facade (now the garden front) is long, regular and symmetrical, with a segmental-headed doorway in the centre, 2 small segmental-headed 3-light casements at ground floor with restored glazing, 3 matching casements at 1st floor, and gable chimneys. At the rear its eastern bay has one similar casement on each floor and there are 3 renovated dormers in the roof. The eastern side of the earlier rear range (abutting the front with its eaves just above the band) has a segmental-headed doorway close to the junction, a rectangular 3-light casement in the centre, a large doorway close to the rear angle, and a sloped dormer offset slightly left. A tall chimney rises from the junction of the roofs. The rear gable wall has 2 small windows at ground floor and a third above, all segmental-headed 3-light casements, and there is a smaller 2-light casement in the end-wall of the lean-to extension.  

The 1st bay of the rear wing (adjoining the main range) contains most of a full cruck truss, the blades exposed on both floors; its partition wall to the 2nd bay is of square-panelled timber-framing; and abutting each of these features is a large chamfered ceiling beam carrying floor joists of extremely unusual triangular section: the beam next to the partition crosses the lower part of the upper tier of panels, indicating that the upper floor was inserted. The NW side-wall of this range has square-panelled timber-framing on a rubble plinth (visible in the lean-to addition); and in the end room of this range, which is open to the roof, the whole of a square-panelled cross-frame is visible, including a principal-rafter truss with 3 queen-struts to the collar and V-struts above the collar. The main range has stop-chamfered beams on both floors (probably of chestnut), and principal-rafter roof trusses with slightly arched collars. The entrance hall in the centre bay contains a fine late C17 framed newel staircase with closed string, turned balusters and heavy moulded handrail; but certain irregularities of its construction have led the owners to suspect that it is ex situ.  

Included as a good multi-period vernacular farmhouse retaining significant evidence of its origins as a late-medieval cruck-framed hall. The later additions also retain some original character including a fine staircase. Together with its associated barn and attached cattle-shed (q.v.), and former stable (q.v.), it forms part of a good farmstead group.