7496

 

II  

Designated  

14/11/1988  

15/12/1995  

Former Barn and Cowhouse Ranges Adjoining Old Gwernyfed House  

 

Powys  

Gwernyfed  

 

Felindre  

318319  

236532  

 

A group of farm ranges around an elongated farmyard prominently sited along the Talgarth to Felindre minor road, and immediately adjoining the outer front garden and driveway approaching Old Gwernyfed.  

Agriculture and Subsistence  

 

Mostly C18 and C19 in date.  

Rubble walls and pitched slate roofs with tiled crestings. The group of buildings comprises a former stable-coachhouse range due E of Old Gwernyfed, returning as a long barn range forming the boundary with the front garden of the house, returning again along the road at the SE end to meet, at a corner, a low range of 7 bays running back from the road parallel to the long barn range. The NW coachhouse range is of the late C18, converted to farm buildings and cowhouse in the C19 or early C20, and is of 6 bays, with a blocked elliptical voussoir arch carriageway. Interior has stalling and feed walk, and the roof truss has principal rafters set on top of a wavy brace to the tie, which sits on a wall plate. The long NW to SE range is separated from the last described building by a 4-bay structure on cast iron columns of post 1905. This is attached to a 7-bay barn, probably C18, with two cartways, and is floored between. Low set ventilation slots, tie beam truss with raking queen struts and morticed collar carrying three tiers of purlins. Three vents at the ends indicate it was once free-standing. Below the floor is a water wheel inserted in the late C19 in an artificial leet from the Felindre brook; an all iron overshot/breast shot wheel of 3.2m diameter by the Llanidloes Foundry of 1897, with a spur wheel driving a small cog to a high speed shaft for belting. The mill was largely installed for feed preparation, which took place in the lofting of the building. The water outlet runs from the barn under the front garden of Old Gwernyfed to a pond. The barn is now attached in line with a C19 5-bay cowhouse built with 75cm square brick piers towards the yard, and stone rear wall. Two feed drops from hay store over. The range fronting the road, and attached to the last cowhouse at the SW end is of 7 bays, with a double bay at the end taking up the angle with the cowhouse. It is probably of the early C19, but altered later. Four openings to the road elevation, with brick dressings and timber lintels to the upper level. Three pairs of pitching doors rise through eaves to a raked roof. Doors survive at the E end only, and are planked, cut with ventilation slots of linked diamond holes. On the N elevation to the yard, the windows are in splayed reveals, each with a vented lower section and 4 upper glazed panes, and open pitching holes above. Battened and planked doors similarly pierced with decorative slots. The trusses have tie beams and principal rafters with long raking struts, the rafters originally trenched for 3 tiers of purlins. Internal floor removed. The smaller range on the NE side of the farmyard is probably of the late C18, of 7 bays, single storey, and has a stone slate roof, replaced with asbestos only on the end bay. The two NW bays are pens, accessed from the gable end, the remainder a cowhouse. Tie beam trusses with cambered collar face-tenoned to the principal rafters, and raking struts. The trusses are chisel marked.  

 

Listed as of group value with and for providing the distinctive frontage and important enclosure to the front approach to Old Gwernyfed, the inserted mill being an unusual example of the creeping industrialisation of farm buildings in the later C19.