Lesser Barn

Cadw's description

Location

Aligned on N/S axis, set on the East side of the outer yard, opposite Bryans Building.

History

Tredegar House was the seat of the Morgan family from the early C15 through to the mid C20. The surviving medieval house was incorporated into the South West wing of the much grander, classical house that was built between 1664 and 1672 by Sir William Morgan (d.1680). William married Blanche Morgan, heiress of Judge William Morgan of Therrew, Kings Attorney for South Wales, in 1661 and it seems likely that her dowry financed the rebuilding of Tredegar House and the stables and this barn may be contemporary with that work. The Lesser Barn is shown on the Estate map of 1827 by William Jones, as being a continuous barn with what is now known as the Great Barn, measuring 255 feet in length. The central portion was destroyed by fire in the C19 and demolished, thereby creating two barns. After the Morgan family died out in 1951 the house and its grounds were used as a boarding school. Owned by Newport Borough Council since 1974 when it became open to the public along with its grounds.

Exterior

Seven bay barn, C17, formerly the southern end of the Great Barn, from which it was severed by fire in the C19. Steeply pitched, gabled, slated roof. W elevation rendered, S gable part rendered with areas of exposed coursed stone rubble and pebbles. N gable constructed in brick following a fire in C19. E elevation masked by C19 lean-to outshut in brick. Cobble forecourt to W. Front (W) elevation has central, full height doorway with boarded doors and exposed lintols, two ventilation slots flank doorway at mid height, each with timber shutter. Symmetrically arranged, single square shuttered opening beneath eaves to each side of main doorway. N gable of C19 brickwork with two shuttered ventilation slots at ground floor level. S gable has single opening set high within gable, beneath which are two vertically aligned C19 loft doors with flanking ventilation slots at mid height. Beneath are two wider, shuttered C19 ventilation slots. Rear (E) elevation has a C19 brick outshut with four doorways at S end, double cart doorway with brick arch to right hand side and further doorways to right hand end.

Interior

Unpartitioned. Hay loft at N end with evidence of hayloft to S end. Limewashed rubble walls. Original C17 roof structure with pegged 'A' frames, each with three sets of trenched purlins.

Reason for designation

Listed grade II as an example of a large C17 estate barn with group value with the Tredegar Estate complex.