9753

 

II  

Designated  

14/01/1993  

05/02/1999  

Heol-ddu farmhouse  

 

Carmarthenshire  

Gorslas  

Llanelli  

Heol-ddu  

253974  

215178  

 

Nearly 1km NW of Foelgastell, on the B4310 midway between Cefneithin and Porthrhyd. The farmhouse faces away from the road towards the farmyard; small forecourt with low rubble wall. Small walled enclosures at rear also.  

Domestic  

 

A datestone survives at the front of Heol-ddu, left of centre at upper window head level, clearly inscribed 'P LL 1748'. The initials on the datestone appear to indicate Philip Lloyd, the nonconformist benefactor, who donated land for Capel Seion in 1712 and repaired the old Llanlluan chapel for Griffith Jones' circulating schools in 1736. He is said to have had two sons, and Heol-ddu is an interesting example of an C18 farm that came to be occupied by two brothers, a second house being added. This might be considered as an example of the 'unit system' showing the multiplication of dwellings as family property on a single small estate. In 1847 the farmstead was part of estate of John Lloyd Davies, occupied by David Davies with a farm of 61ha. There were further farm buildings to the north west of the surviving group, of which very little now remains. The original C18 house comprises the main range together with the kitchen or scullery cross-wing at rear with its great chimney. The additional bay to the right is, on structural evidence, not original. The rear catslide extension is, on map evidence, of post-1905 date.  

A farmhouse of two storeys and an attic, the front in whitened rubble masonry and rendered elsewhere. Slate roof with small overhang; gable-end-stacks including large chimney with offsets to rear wing. Beneath the rafter-ends of the main elevation are the brackets of a former boxed eaves. The front is a broad, symmetrical three-window range facing north-east to the farmyard. There is a lower single-bay extension in tandem at the right, in coursed rubble, and a lower rear kitchen or scullery wing; a separate low rear store-room wing under a lean-to roof is attached to the right of the rear elevation. 12-pane hornless sash-windows with dressed stone cambered heads flanking and over the wide central doorway. The door itself restored, vertically boarded, with a simple three-pane overlight under a cambered head. One 12-pane sash-window in the right extension. There are restored six-pane attic windows each side of the chimneys in the end elevations of the main range, and in the left elevation at ground storey a restored 12-pane sash-window. 20-pane hornless sash-window to the side of the kitchen extension. Three restored rear doors.  

Entrance lobby centrally with kitchen at right; stairs and cellar access centrally; parlour at left. The structural plan of roof and upper floors is in five bays, the central bay widened to accommodate the stairs. Roof trusses of high collar-beam type with carpenter's marks numbering from right to left. High collar beam trusses in the extension in tandem and in the kitchen wing also. In the entrance there is a boarded door to the kitchen and six-panel doors to the cellar and parlour. In the kitchen there is an open fireplace with a bread oven at left. Stone floor paving. Open fireplace also in the cross-wing with restored bressummer, large oven at right.  

Listed for its special interest as a well-preserved C18 farmhouse, and for group value with the other listed items at Heol-ddu which constitute a substantial surviving near-contemporary group of historical interest as showing the development of a small family estate in the C18, and possible example of what is called the 'unit system'.