4799

 

II  

Designated  

30/11/1966  

23/05/2003  

Argoed Farmhouse  

 

Gwynedd  

Llanfair  

 

Llanfair  

257997  

328365  

NE  

In a rural location, set above and well back from the NE side of the A496 to SSE of Llanfair.  

Domestic  

 

Probably early C17 farmhouse with later addition, mentioned in a deed of 1658. The old house at Argoed is a ''regional house type A'' as defined by P Smith: a house with end chimneys and internal cross passage, this house retains some post and panel partitioning in the cross passage. The farm is an example of the ''unit system'' of linked dwellings once common in the region; a secondary 2-storey farmhouse was built to W of the old house in the C19 (probably on the site of an earlier dwelling), the 2-units linked by a vestibule. Formerly owned by the Poole''s of ''Cae Nest'', Llanbedr; the initials of Richard A Poole (1798 -1863) can be seen carved into one of the beams there. The farm was leased to the Reverend William Pugh, the recorded tenant in the tithe apportionment of 1849, who supervised the building of the new farmhouse at the property. In 1899 the farmstead was a mixed farm of around 65 acres (26.3 hectares) and the annual rental for it, and a neighbouring tenement was £30. In early C20 the house stood empty for 25 years before being extensively restored by the current owners; the upper portion of parts of the front wall had to be rebuilt and the roof was re-slated.  

Unit system farmstead group comprising C17 farmhouse, extended in alignment to N by a 4-bay threshing barn and linked to a C19 farmhouse to W by a storeyed vestibule. Built of random rubble masonry, the front of the C17 farmhouse limewashed. The C17 house and attached barn have roofs of small slates, rough stone copings at S gable; the top portion of the front wall of the old house was rebuilt in late C20 and the house re-roofed, the rear pitch has a modern slate roof with small rooflight. There is a rendered rectangular stack at S gable and a tall square stack at the NE corner; both have stone capping. The C17 block is a 2-storey farmhouse, the doorway is offset to the R (N) with one window to R and 2 to L, the upper storey has 3 gable dormers offset to L (S). The windows are timber casements with slate sills. The 4-bay threshing barn has been built in alignment to the N of the old house, the opposing doorways are offset to R (N) end and there are 2 narrow ventilation slits to L (S) and one to R (the northernmost ventilation slit in the rear elevation has been blocked). There is a pitching hole set in the N gable apex and a raking dormer opening breaks the eaves to R of the doorway to rear. The C19 farmhouse is also built of random rubble masonry but has large stones as quoins and lintels. The roof was re-slated in C20 and has rooflights in the front (W) pitch, the rectangular gable stacks are clad with heavy grit render. Parallel to the old house, the C19 block is set at a slightly elevated position with the principal elevation facing W; a 3-window range with central doorway and modern top-hung casement windows with slate sills, the central 1st floor window partially blocked to make a smaller window.  

The C17 house retains the original timbers including pegged collared trusses and large paired purlins. The ground floor retains some original cross beams with lambs tongue stops to soffit chamfers. There is a massive chamfered bressumer to the inglenook which has a brick oven in the corner and the cross passage retains post and panel partitioning. The barn has a 4-bay roof with angle struts above the tie beams. The interior of the C19 house was not inspected at the time of the survey.  

Listed as an interesting example of a ''''''''''''''''unit system'''''''''''''''' arrangement of linked dwellings, which together with the attached barn forms the heart of an extensive farmstead group. The C17 house and the adjoining barn retain much of the original vernacular character and the old house retains some fine internal timber fittings.