607

 

II*  

Designated  

20/10/1952  

23/10/2003  

Henblas  

 

Powys  

Llangedwyn  

 

Henblas  

317023  

323806  

 

Just south of the River Tanat, about 1½ km west of Pont Llangedwyn.  

Domestic  

 

A house the main range of which lies north/south, built on a flat site, consisting of a two-bay C15 cruck-framed hall with a bay to the south separated by a spere truss. Baker dates its origin to the late C15, and mentions this as the site of an earlier house (Smith also refers to two houses at the same location). The house was probably divided into storeys around 1600. A bay south of the hall appears to have been lost and replaced by a C17 or C18 three-bay cross-wing. The third interior frame, abutting this cross-wing, retains plaster on its face above the cross-wing ceiling level, showing that the cross-wing is not primary. The house was encased in stonework and brickwork The south face of the crosswing became the main front of the house in the C18, and was refaced in brick.  

The hall range is of 1½ storeys and lies north/south. It is walled in roughly coursed local stone with a low eaves level. Restored slate roof with a mid chimney. Lean-to extensions at east and west. Catslide roofed dormers to east and west. Upvc window on west side. Small-pane timber casements to north and east with metal glazing bars. The cross-wing to south, extending to the west, is of two storeys, in a mixture of materials: re-used early brickwork to the front (south) and the rear; local uncoursed stone in the west gable; C18 brickwork in the east gable. Slate roof with brickwork end chimneys. The front is symmetrical, of three windows and probably of C18 date, with a string course incorporating diagonally laid dentil bricks at first floor level. Square two-light small-paned windows above, timber mullion and transom small-paned windows below, with iron casements and glazing bars. One similar window in the upper strorey of the east gable end.  

Hall, with spere truss and a bay beyond to the north and a cross-range which may have been a parlour wing to the south. Much survives of the spere frame, including the upper portion of the spere posts with their octagonal moulding, a cambered tie beam with arch braces and a decorative boss at the centre, which may be a rose surrounded by a coiled band and four cones. The mid-hall cruck frame survives, and also has a decorative boss at the centre of a very cambered collar beam; it is also stoutly arch-braced and has a king post and two trusses above. A remarkable feature of the interior is the inserted floor above the upper bay of the hall. This is massively timbered, with an off-centre main beam, and a hierarchy of lesser beams dividing the floor into 7 x 4 small squares (plus 2 given up to a former staircase position in the south-east corner). These small squares are then further divided by small joists each into 6 panels, with a chequerboard pattern. The beams and joists are all generously chamfered but not otherwise decorated. Although some decorative intention seems evident, it may have been primarily a utilitarian design to spread the load of a granary, as grain has been observed in crevices.  

Listed at grade II* as an important late mediaeval house with an interesting developmental history, particularly fine carpentry and a sub-mediaeval wing refaced in brickwork of exceptional quality.