81884

 

II  

Designated  

03/10/2003  

03/10/2003  

Former Farmhouse at Cadwst Mawr  

 

Denbighshire  

Llandrillo  

 

Cwm Pennant  

303375  

335533  

 

Located on the E side of Cwm Pennant, and approx 1.5km S of Llandrillo. Reached by a track which runs E off a minor road from the village. The track crosses the Afon Ceidiog close to its confluence with the Clochnant.  

Domestic  

 

An early C16 cruck-framed hall house with open hearth. In the C18 the house was partly rebuilt, the side walls and end crucks replaced in stone and raised to 2 storeys. At the same time, a chimney stack was inserted into the hall, and the doors and windows were renewed. A lateral stack for a bake-oven was later inserted. Further alterations to door and window openings took place in the mid-C19. The house was disused by the early C20 and a new farmhouse was built; by the middle of the century it had become a cow-house.  

Four-bay 2-storey range of random stone with large boulder footings, under a corrugated asbestos roof. The S side of the range has the appearance of a farm building. Full-height opening to R end, one-and-a-half bays wide, with corrugated iron sheeting beneath the eaves. This is the current entrance. Small window to L of entrance. To L end, early C20 metal window with ventilator, with concrete lintel and brick jamb to R side; panel of brick infill above lintel, rising to eaves. Immediately to R of infill is a 1st floor doorway. Lower stable range with ventilation slits adjoining W gable end of range, itself joining a small 1-unit stone granary or hay shed with small openings to upper R and lower L, the former reached by a grassed ramp. E gable end of range has planked door to L of upper storey. The N side of the range, only partially visible at the time of inspection, has 3 doorways relating to the cow-house, but also retains features of the C19 house. The upper storey has 4 window openings with fixed wooden windows, the 3rd from L infilled with brick. Beneath the R-hand window is brick infill relating to a former upper level doorway. To the lower storey, the L doorway retains a wooden door-frame including an overlight; this was probably the house entrance, leading into the hall. Rendered surround to R doorway. Further window openings beneath upper storey openings. The lower adjoining stable range to R has a door to R and window to L.  

The interior is reached from the wide S entrance, which leads into the former parlour in the R end bay. This is open to the hall which was probably 2-bay originally, with a stack and partition wall later inserted behind the central truss. There was a service bay to L end (not seen). The building retains substantial well-preserved cruck trusses; that between parlour and hall has curved struts between tie beam and cruck blades. Inside the hall, the cruck-truss has a cambered tie-beam and collar with King-post. The C18 chimney inserted immediately behind this truss has a wide fireplace with chamfered timber lintel. To its R is a doorway leading to the former 2nd bay of the hall which had a bake-oven inserted against the S lateral wall. Cruck-truss between hall and service room not seen, but said to be the same as central truss.  

Listed as a rare survival of a C16 hall-house, retaining good elements of the original cruck construction.