Great Barn

Cadw's description

Location

Located on the East side of the inner court, to the SE of Tredegar House.

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 this work. The Great Barn is shown on the Estate map of 1827 by William Jones as being a continuous barn with what is now known as the Lesser 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

Large, C17 estate barn, truncated at S end by fire in C19. As originally built, unusual by virtue of its extreme length. Elevations of coursed rubble. Gabled, slated roof. Front (W) elevation has pronounced batter to base. Approximately central, full height doorway with double boarded doors, stable door at N end with small rectangular window to right hand side. Two small ventilation slots set beneath eaves. To S of main doorway is a further single door with three-quarter height double doors to right and further doorway with shuttered hayloft opening above. Two shuttered, rectangular openings at mid height to extreme S end. S gable is of C19 brick with four, asymmetrically arranged C19 timber casements of various sizes. Rear elevation retains partial limewashing, regularly spaced ventilator slots at mid height, now blocked. Large opening with timber lintol offset at N end, partially infilled with later rubble masonry and smaller boarded door set within. N gable is of coursed rubblestone and is blind.

Interior

Substantially partitioned to create various storage areas with lofts over.

Reason for designation

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