Bedford House

Cadw's description

Location

The house lies on the N side of the village, off the W side of the minor road crossing the valley from Cefn Cribwr to Aberbaiden.

History

The house was built in c.1772 as his own dwelling, by John Bedford I, innovator, industrialist and moral philosopher, after his arrival in Cefn Cribwr from the Birmingham area via Trostre, Monmouthshire. It stands at the upper end of his former 80-acre (32.4 hectare) park, above the Nant Iorwerth Coch, with his industrial enterprises at the bottom. John Bedford II inherited the property in 1791, and maintained a correspondence and friendship with the Cowbridge bookseller, Edward Williams, Iolo Morganwg, who was persuaded by him to open a bookshop in Cefn Cribwr. John Bedford II's widow sold the house and property to William Bryant of Merthyr in 1824-5, who used the building as his manager's house and the company office controlling the ironworks, colliery, brickworks and claypits.

Exterior

Built of stone, rendered and lined out at the front, with a hipped C20 concrete tile roof. The first building is a small 2-bay house with a gable stack, which was incorporated into Bedford's late C18 enlarged house. The main four-bay elevation faces E; 3 symmetrical bays on the right with a central entrance to the stair hall, and a further bay to the left beyond an axial stack. Six-panelled door with plain overlight, set in a C20 Ionic style porch. Sixteen-paned sash windows with cast iron sills to the ground floor. Boxed eaves. On the N face, 2 bays, similar 16-pane sashes to the upper floor, the ground floor windows replaced by C20 hipped canted bays. Central stack. Various C20 additions to the rear.

Reason for designation

Included as a good example of a late C18 house of historical value for its association with the Bedford family of ironworkers and innovators, and of group value with the Waun Cimla ironworks below.