4803

 

II  

Designated  

30/11/1966  

29/10/2003  

Cwm Bychan  

 

Gwynedd  

Llanbedr  

 

Afon Artro Valley  

264719  

331517  

 

Located at the end of the Afon Artro Valley beyond the source of the river to ENE of Llyn Cwm Bychan.  

Domestic  

 

An early C17 house (with date of 1612 recorded on the jamb of the front door), originating as a typical storeyed, end chimney house of regional sub-medieval type. To this was added a service wing, in the early-mid eighteenth century, and perhaps contemporary with this, the original internal plan was altered to create a single parlour from two small unheated rooms at the lower end of the house. The rear wing and parlour chimney are clearly shown in a painting by Moses Griffiths of 1780 (at the time of Pennant's visit to the house), and the parlour may be the 'new-built chamber in the mansion house of Cwm bychan' referred to in the will of Richard Lloyd, 1736. Later again, the cross-passage partitions were removed to create a single large ground floor room. The house has been extensively restored in the late C20-C21. Cwm bychan was long the home of the Lloyd family: its builder was probably Edward David Lloyd (d1636), and it remained in the family until the nineteenth century. There was formerly a tyddyn traean, or dower house, adjacent to the front of the house, but this has been lost.  

Two storey house with single storey service wing to rear and single pitched addition to R (NE). Coursed boulder construction including massive stones to the base of the walls; stone lintels and sills. Roof of small slates with stone copings and square gable stacks with dripstones and capping. The main part of the house is a 3 window range with the principal elevation facing SE, the ground floor has 9-pane horned sash windows flanking a wide doorway housing a replacement boarded door with long tulip headed hinges; 1st floor windows are small 4-pane casements set directly under the eaves. There is a similar 1st floor window in the L (SW) gable return and to the rear there is a 6-pane ground floor window with a single, shallow 3-pane light above, offset to L (NE) end of the range. The single storey service wing to rear is of similar construction and has a tall gable stack at the junction with the added range to rear. The main part of the service wing has a recessed stable door at the L (SE) end of the NE wall, the opposite wall has a 6-pane casement window to L and a small 4-pane fixed light to R. The added range beyond has a boarded door to R (NW) end of the NE wall and a narrow fixed light in the NW gable apex. The single pitched stable addition at NE gable has a central boarded door with a ventilation slit to L along NE wall and a large 20-pane light in the R (NW) return.  

Original layout of hall, cross-passage and two service rooms modified successively by creation of parlour, and then by creation of a single large room, but the framed ceilings of the original rooms remain, as does the stone chimney stair adjacent to the former hall fireplace. Massive hewn chamfered bressumers to fireplaces at both ends, that to the former parlour dated 1770 and L LL (for Lloyd). First floor has 3 collar trusses, one of which is grooved for a partition showing that the original layout was of 2 rooms. Wall panelling in one room said to be a replica of the earlier panelling, replaced in the late C20.  

Listed as a good early C17 farmhouse which retains a good traditional character and some fine internal timberwork.