Plas Isaf

Cadw's description

Location

Located at the NW boundary of the community on the S bank of the Afon Elwy, approximately 0.5km W of Pont Meredydd.

History

Early C17 house, apparently part of a unit-planned complex and associated with a slightly earlier adjacent range, now a store. The house was given a very fine dog-leg stair in the late C17, which, together with an associated hall doorcase and some simple surviving plaster decoration, probably relates to work recorded in 1684. The staircase is almost exactly paralleled by that at nearby Plas Uchaf and is clearly by the same craftsman or craftsmen; they represent the finest and most sophisticated examples of their type in the locality. The house was overhauled c1900, at which period the chimneys and roofs were replaced; the house now has a largely modern exterior (1/98).

Exterior

Large unit-planned, storeyed farmhouse of Z-plan. Of rubble construction with modern pebble-dash and slate roofs with deep verges and simply-moulded bargeboards; 2-stage red brick chimneys (c1900) with oversailing courses to capping. The main, NE range has a modern single-storey closed porch to its NE (garden-facing) side, with entrance at its L return. The first floor R window is a mid C19 12-pane sash, otherwise the windows are modern in C19 openings. The SE gable has a large segmentally-headed window to the ground floor, with plain casement section to its lower half and multi-pane glazing to its upper half. Small segmentally-headed window to gable apex, with late C19 plain casement glazing. A lower L-shaped range adjoins flush to the L. This has a modern gabled porch to the R, with a C20 part-glazed door within; C19 12-pane sash above. The return section has an entrance to the R with boarded door and a 12-pane casement above; to the L is a 4-pane late C19 sash. The gable end of this range has a modern garage extension; to the rear is a late Victorian brick gabled loading bay with moulded bargeboards, segmental entrance and boarded door. To the L is a 12-pane sliding sash at ground level. The N and W sides all have modern out-of-character windows.

Interior

The W range, forming the central section of the Z-plan house, has former hall (now sub-divided) with ogee stopped-chamfered ceiling beams and plain joists. The entrance hall, in the main, NE section, has a fine, large bolection-moulded wooden doorcase framing the entrance on the inside. This is of wooden construction (now painted) and has scrolled volutes to either side at the base and a tripartite moulded overthrow. Associated with this is an exceptionally fine oak stair, with barley-twist balusters, square newels and complex geometric finials; moulded string and rail and contemporary treads and risers. The stair is of dog-leg type with winders and segmental steps at the start of each flight (as at Plas Uchaf) and continues to the second (attic) floor (partly boxed-in). Associated with the stair is a dog-gate with flat, S-shaped balusters. This was found to be detatched and in the attic at the time of survey (1/98). The entrance hall has simple contemporary ribbed and panelled plasterwork to the ceilings and beams (mostly papered over); in the present kitchen (formerly the 'Parlour Mawr') there is similar simple plasterwork. The first floor retains good original random-width oak floor-boards and two contemporary ovolo-moulded pegged oak doorcases.

Reason for designation

Listed notwithstanding modern alterations for the special interest of its exceptionally fine C17 interior detail.

Group value with the Former Domestic Range at Plas Isaf.