Lower Tal-y-fan

Cadw's description

Location

About 1.7km SSW of the church of St Dingat, on the W side of a farmtrack running off the old road between Mitchel troy and Raglan where it bends under the A40(T).

History

Probably built in the late C15 or early C16, as a cruck-framed 3-unit hall-house; cased in stone, and enlarged, with added porch, c.1600; further extended to link with granary in earlier C17; and with additions of late C17 and C18.

Exterior

A very irregular complex resulting from successive phases of building, rebuilding and addition, of which the principal elements are: (1) the late C15 cruck-framed range on a N-S axis, now 1½-storeyed; (2) its N bay, rebuilt 2-storeyed with a very prominent porch-wing on the W side; and (3) a 1-bay extension to the N end linking it to a 3-storeyed 1-unit block (possibly a granary) built at the same time but at an angle, because it was attached to the end of a pre-existing barn.
On the W (entrance) front the most prominent feature is the porch-wing which has in its S side a Tudor-arched doorway with a chamfered surround. The earlier range to the S has two 3-light windows at ground floor and a small 2-light dormer between them; and a ridge chimney. Attached to the S end of this side is an altered C17 wing. The rear (E side) has a doorway offset slightly S of the chimney; windows of 3 and 4 lights at ground floor, and 2 small gabled dormers. The 3-storey block at the N end has in its N gable wall a 4-light mullioned window at 1st floor level and a 6-light mullioned window at 2nd floor.

Interior

Fox & Raglan, Monmouthshire Houses Part I, pp31-4 provides detailed description with drawings of cross-section (dated 1942) and plan (dated 1950). They reported that the late C15 range contained parts of 3 cruck trusses, one with sunk-chamfer moulding, vacant mortices of former arch-bracing beneath the collar, and V-struts above the collar; and that at 1st floor of the porch there was a doorway with a strongly shaped lintel dating probably from c.1600.
Brief observation of the exterior in September 2000 suggests that there has probably been little alteration to the internal fabric since Sir Cyril Fox's first visit in 1942.

Reason for designation

Included as a sub-medieval house - recorded by Fox and Raglan as having substantial remains of a late medieval cruck-framed open-hall house, which they dated to c.1480.