Privy block at Bodorgan home farm

Cadw's description

Location

Located immediately north of the main house at Bodorgan, and S of the corn barn at Bodorgan home farm.

History

Bodorgan was one of a number of townships from which the Bishop of Bangor derived his income, and is first recorded in 1306. The estate forms the Anglesey seat of the Meyrick family, whose ancestors were tenants from late C14, the surname first documented in 1537. The estate expanded from the early C18 onwards, and by late C19 was the largest on the island. The main house (built 1779-83) was designed by John Cooper, architect of Beaumaris, who also designed some of the outbuildings, built in 1782, possibly including the privy. Shown on the Llangadwaladr Tithe map of 1843.

Exterior

A high-walled yard enclosing two privies, square in plan with crude cock and hen coping. Rubble walls with gritstone dressings. Brick arched doorway to E end of N elevation leads to small courtyard (laundry area?). Two windows to W elevation, with prominant gritsone architraves and lintels, brick sills. Low horizontal opening with gritsone lintel to base of W wall, to right end. The two earth closets are entered from the courtyard, occupying the NW and SW corners. Rubble walls, gritstone jambs, single pitch slate roofs. To the rear (S) was formerly a slate water tank for the laundry; to the E is the poultry yard.

Reason for designation

Included as a substantially complete estate workers' privy block, forming a component in the unusually comprehensive estate centre at Bodorgan.