House and Barn at Pen-yr-wyrlod

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 0.6km SE of Llangenny church on W side of a minor road between Penygilfach and Glangrwyne. Built into bank of road and with new house adjacent.

History

Early C17 house and barn with C18 improvements. The house was superseded when a new house was built at right angles to the earlier building c1803.

Exterior

One-and-a-half storey former house with attached barn, forming a long range set into the slope. Battered walls of rubble sandstone (with traces of limewash), steeply-pitched slate roof with central stone stack. The house is at the uphill end and has a wide boarded door to L under an added gabled canopy, a former sash next R and a former casement window at the R end. Above is a single raking dormer. At the lower end is a central wagon bay doorway with double boarded doors, to R of which are external stone stairs to a loft doorway L of the stack. At L the end is a byre door with timber surround, and a ventilation slit upper L. (An added projection at the lower end is random rubble with a corrugated metal roof.) The R gable end of the house has an attic opening L of centre with timber stanchions.

To rear is a cross-passage doorway with C17 window to L. The barn has ventilation slits and an owl hole.

Interior

Entry is directly into the hall. The fireplace has stop-chamfered jambs and a timber bressumer that, unusually, has an integral moulded mantel shelf. Chamfered cross beams. The fireplace stair has been removed, and the space converted to a bread oven. A post-and-panel partition in the hall retains a 4-centred door head with its original door. The service rooms are also separated by a partition with an ovolo-moulded C17 door head, possibly reused. Part of an early door head is also reused in the rear door. The house has a 3-bay post-and-pad roof, the barn has a similar 3-bay collared roof.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special interest as a well-preserved example of a sub-medieval dwelling, improved in C18, and retaining good internal detail.