4833

 

II  

Designated  

30/11/1966  

25/02/2005  

Bron-y-wern  

 

Gwynedd  

Maentwrog  

 

Maentwrog  

266458  

340503  

W  

Set back slightly from the W side of Bull Street (A496) in the centre of the village of Maentwrog; to S of Pen-y-Bryn and the lychgate to the Church of St. Twrog.  

Domestic  

 

Early to mid C19 house and former shop, marked on the tithe map of the parish, 1840, on a parcel of land described as 'Tir y Llan'; owned by Louisa Jane Oakeley of Plas Tan-y-bwlch and occupied by Cadwaladr Evans. William Gruffyd Oakeley (1790-1835) was only 21 when he inherited the Plas Tan-y-bwlch estate and set about an ambitious programme of improving the estate. This entailed new building in the village of Maentwrog and rebuilding or improving the existing buildings. In order to do so he opened a quarry near Gelli Grin from which was quarried the large lengths of brown stone present in so many of the village buildings. Offered up for sale in the auction of the Plas Tan-y-bwlch estate, 1910, in Lot 12 'The Picturesque Rural Village of Maentwrog'. The property was described as Shop House and Premises, called 'Shop Uchaf', occupied by Mr J R Jones, for an annual rent of £12-0s-0d (£12.00).  

Two storey building of traditional character, comprising 3-window range house to L (S) and single window wing (probably a service wing originally and formerly housing a Post Office) to R. Built of coursed rubble masonry with large stones as quoins and lintels. Slate roof with stone copings and rectangular stacks with dripstones and capping; gable stacks and a ridge stack delineating the extent of the house. The openings have modern timber replacement casements of 2-lights; first floor windows in gabled half dormers. The principal elevation faces the road to E, the house has a doorway to centre with all openings offset to the R (N) end. The single window part has a doorway to L (S) and bay window to R, under a slate roofed porch on stone piers. The first floor window is centrally placed.  

The interior was not inspected at the time of the survey (June/July 2003).  

Listed, notwithstanding some alterations, as an early to mid C19 house retaining some traditional character that forms a group with the other buildings at the centre of the estate village of Maentwrog.