Barn and Granary Range at Coed-y-dinas

Cadw's description

Location

Forms the northern range of the principle courtyard of the farm.

Exterior

History: Coed-y-dinas was a home-farm of the Powis Estate by the mid C19 and was renamed 'The Earl of Powis's Model Farm' when plans for rebuilding it were put forward in 1862 and 1870. Although the scheme was never developed in its entirety, a substantial part of it was constructed in 1872. The engineers were Clayton and Shuttleworth of Lincoln, and as the buildings were designed specifically to house steam-driven farm machinery, it seems likely that they also acted as architects to the scheme.

Exterior: Brick with slate roofs. A near-symmetrical range comprising 2 storeyed 5 bay ranges to either side of a 3 storeyed gable, and lower 2-bay ranges beyond on either side. Central gable has central round-arched doorway to ground floor, with segmental headed loading doors (with sliding inner doors) on each floor above, all flanked by segmental headed 6- pane windows. A brick cornice forms an open pediment to the gable, with a central arched panel corbelled out. The eastern range has central and outer doorways, and a single window to either side of the central door; 2 windows to either side of a central loading door to first floor. Openings throughout have chamfered rebates and cambered heads. Single storeyed range beyond with similar openings. The western range has 4 windows on each floor (including loading door to first floor), with 2 doorways (to store room and loose-box) beneath the 'bridge' that links this range with the cow sheds at right angles to it. The lower range beyond was probably a coach house (with wide segmental doorway), with loose box to the left. N elevation away from the yard is also symmetrically arranged, with the tall central gable and advanced outer gabled ranges. Round-arched lower opening in central gable, and segmentally arched loading door (with sliding doors) with flanking windows above. Diamond brick vents to ground and first floor levels. Decorative brick detail in gable apex, matching the S elevation. Outer gables have wide openings to ground floor (round-arched to W gable; simple sliding door with segmental relieving arch to E) and segmental headed openings above, all flanked by diamond vents, with oculus in each gable apex. Engine house with hipped louvred roof occupies the space between the central and W gables, with central doorway and iron radial glazing to flanking round-arched windows and the truncated remains of the chimney in its angle with the W gable.

Interior: Heavy ceilings with scissor bracing to close-spaced joists (but axial beams in W range); splayed king-post trusses to roofs. Some remains of line-shafting are extant.

An impressive example of model-farm architecture of the late C19, and an important exemplar of the principles of design and engineering for high-farming.

References: Stephen Hughes, The Archaeology of the Montgomeryshire Canal, 1988, pp.50-54;
National Monuments Record, Aberystwyth.