Manor Farm Courtyard Farm Range

Cadw's description

Location

Situated close to the farmhouse on the other side of the drive, at the foot of Newton Down.

History

Farm planned 1860s possibly associated with Inclosure Award of 1864 involving enclosure of Newton Down and transferring remainder to landowners in parish. Original plans held in County Record Office show buildings grouped round a courtyard close to the farmhouse, one plan dated 1852 endorsed 'For Sir J J Guest Bart MP'. An undated plan shows an E shaped farm complex, clearly not as built; another shows a 3 sided courtyard, not unlike present arrangement but lacking the long S cow-house range, which was most probably part of the original construction as it shares the king post roof construction illustrated elsewhere. Elevation drawings of 1862 show N and S ranges, the former with waggon house and granary above, similar though not identical to present arrangement. There is thus no plan of the complex as built, but the series shows an interesting development in planning the accommodation. Architect David Vaughan of Bonvilston who practised 1840-1891.

Exterior

A rectangular courtyard, entered from SE corner with former outer tracks also to outward facing entrances. Built of stone rubble with tooled ashlar or blue brick dressings and deep Welsh slate roofs with overhanging eaves. Anti-clockwise from SE corner: E loosebox stable range formerly mainly faced outwards but additional inner doors have been made subsequently; boarded doors and window openings have segmental arched heads and roughly dressed voussoirs. N range, the tallest, has central barn with tall segmental arched doorway to gabled porch with chamfered ventilation slits, rectangular to sides, round headed in apex; on the outer wall to E is a Dutch bay or carriage bay, a 6 bay ground floor arcade, blocked at end, in dressed stone; square headed openings above with sills under cambered arches to former granary reached by stone steps at end adjacent to stables; other loft W of main porch and cambered headed openings on each floor to rear adjacent to former rickyard. Ground floor has internal dividing long wall providing further accomodation reached from main courtyard with cambered arched heads to some doors and windows but some later alterations. Three bay range to W now without slates reported as former dairy has segmental arched windows and doorways. Cowshed range to S has 7 bays, blue brick segmental arched surrounds to planked doors, 5 slit windows on outside wall. Cistern or slurry tank at NE corner adjacent to granary steps.

Interior

Barn has cobbled floor to porch, flagged inside. 2 storey central threshing bay and dividing walls on both sides with first floor doorway to W. King post roofs with tie beam and struts dowelled into base of kingposts and trenched purlins.

Reason for designation

Included as a planned courtyard farm range from the mid C19 retaining much of its original character; group value with Manor Farmhouse.