Penyrheol (Nos 1 and 2)

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 300m SW of Llangynidr church, on W side of a minor road to Cwm Cleisfer and S side of a minor road to Dyffryn Crawnon.

History

Early C17 Breconshire farm house consisting of a hall with 2 inner rooms and probably an attic storey with a 3-bay upper-cruck roof. An outside cross passage and byre were under a separate roof. Early C19 the house was improved by heightening the main house to make 2 storeys, and converting the former cross passage and byre to domestic use by inserting a stair in the cross passage (which effectively became blocked) and adding an attic storey. The fenestration was modified late C19. Later the house is said to have been converted to 2 dwellings, but is now a single house.

Exterior

Two-storey main house with one-and-a-half storey former byre attached to R. Of rubble stone pebble dashed and painted white. Tile roofs, the former byre with a steep pitch. Added roughcast stacks to R of main house and to R of former byre, and a further small stack rising from eaves front L. The main house has a 2-window early C19 front with late C19 windows inserted into the openings. In the upper storey are small-pane Breconshire windows, with a horned sash lower R and fixed light lower L. The early C19 doorway is centrally-placed and has a 6-panel door with raised fields (but is blocked behind). To R of main house is a ribbed and boarded door (to the original cross passage) and an inserted raking half-dormer above with late C19 horned sash window. Former openings further R are blocked (the lintels are visible inside). The L gable end of the house has a chapel vestry attached. The gable end of the former byre is 2-window with Breconshire windows to attic and horned sashes below. Later lean-tos behind. The rear of the main house has an inserted horned sash window in the ground floor.

Interior

The plan of the main house was altered early C19 but retains original fireplace with chamfered bressumer and remains of a fireplace stair. In the upper storey are 2 half crucks in the rear wall which ceased to be structural components when the roof was raised. In the former cross passage is an early C19 straight stair with square newels and turned balusters.

Reason for designation

A good example of a traditional sub-medieval Breconshire farm house showing improvements favoured in the early C19.