Pant Glas Farmhouse

Cadw's description

Location

Located on a strategic hilltop site overlooking the A 5 at the northern boundary of the community; accessed via a metalled lane running SW from the main road.

History

Important sub-medieval seat of the Vaughan family from at least the early C16 and founded by one of the four sons of Rhys Fawr ap Meredith, standard bearer to the future Henry VII at Bosworth. In 1560 Eidda parish, formerly land belonging to the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, was granted to Thomas Vaughan of Pant Glas, thereby further increasing the power and extent of the estate. A Thomas Vaughan of the family was High Sheriff of the County in 1598 and his son John followed him in 1628. Several family members supported the Royalist cause during the Civil Wars, most notably Captain Henry Vaughan, who died in the defence of Hopton Castle in Shropshire, and the blinded Captain Richard Vaughan, subsequently a poor knight of Windsor. Henry Vaughan of Pant Glas was made High Sheriff of Caernarvonshire in 1699 and Deputy Lord Lieutenant by 1701. By the mid-C18 the family had died out and the seat had become a subsidiary one. It was described in 1767 as '...a large mansion house, stone-built and slated in middling repair with gardens. The farmhouse is large stone-built and slated but bad within...'. The 'mansion house' was apparently demolished in bad repair shortly after 1795; the spoil mounds are still visible, though now grassed-over.

The surviving range, long used as a stable and radically overhauled in the third-quarter C19, probably originated as a second-half C16 domestic range, part of what was presumably a unit-planned developement. It is possible that this became the `farmhouse' of the 1767 reference, and therefore survived the demolition suffered by the main house. In its external appearance the range is entirely C19 though it possibly originated as a cross-passage and lateral chimney storeyed range.

Exterior

Storeyed farmhouse and byre range of rubble consruction with slate roof, half-hipped at the gable ends; two simple brick chimneys (to larger, earlier stacks). The main (SE) front is whitened and has an off-centre entrance within a C20 gabled porch; boarded door. Flanking recessed sash windows, 6-pane to the L and 4-pane to the R; Further boarded door to far L with small 8-pane casement beyond. Under the eaves on the first floor are three 6-pane sash windows. To the R, and continuous with the present domestic section is a stable section, originally also domestic. Boarded door with 4-pane overlight, an altered primary entrance. To the R a large entrance with boarded double doors; this possibly replaces a lateral chimney in this position originally; two boarded loft lights above. To the R gable, an external rubble-parapetted stone stair, giving access to an upper entrance with boarded door. To the unwhitened rear, the N corner has characteristically long quoins. Blocked opening to L with former primary entrance beyond, now an 8-pane casement. This is an opposing entrance to the primary one on the main face and therefore suggests a cross-passage plan; quoins as before. Further 4 and 8-pane casements of varying sizes to both floors, including small primary windows to ground floor. A masonry break at far R indicates the extent of the primary block; the extension is C19. Former upper entrance to SW gable. Adjoining at the front is a hipped-roofed, single-storey wash house or dairy block of the C19; boarded door and 16-pane sash to NE face, the latter with boarded lower section.

Interior

Wide inglenook fireplace with chamfered oak lintel to L room of farmhouse section; boxed beams to ceiling. The present stable section has a high beamed ceiling indicative of high status; wide stopped-chamfered main (transverse) beams and crisp stopped-chamfered joists of diagnostically early character. Cross-passage (?) to the L with later rubble internal wall dividing house from stable; in the L corner a large square masonry mass relates to a C19 'borrowing' of the space to create a dairy/pantry area accessed via the house. The ceiling has lost one main beam to the centre, the attendant joists being correspondingly replaced; This relates to the insertion of the large frontal entrance which may have been created through the removal of a lateral chimney, whose position here would be contextually logical. 3 blocked openings to the rear wall.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special interest as the surviving part of the important sub-medieval seat of the Vaughan family.