Rhydygwern Farm

Cadw's description

Location

On high ground overlooking the Rhymney valley floodplain, approximately 3km NE of Rudry Church, on E side of a minor road between Draethen and Machen.

History

Originally a late C16 single-unit house of two-and-a-half storeys, to which a larger 2-storey house was added C17. Subsequently the earlier house was converted to a cow house: the roof was lowered, causing the removal of the upper storey, and the first floor was also lowered. The newer house was converted C19 by the Tredegar Estate with characteristic white-brick stacks and small-pane casement windows, and had large windows to the main room overlooking the Rhymney valley.

Exterior

A large 2-storey house consisting of an old (C16) house to L (uninhabited at time of inspection) and a larger C17 house joined to R (now the main house) in a long, continuous range facing the yard on N side.

The main house has pebble-dashed, battered walls, stone tile roof and C19 white-brick stacks with detached diagonal flues to R and L. The 3-window new house has 2-light small-pane casements (renewed early 1990s in C19 openings), the first-floor windows under gablets, and with an additional 3-light window inserted lower L. The doorway is L of centre inside a C19 gabled porch, its entrance having an elliptical arch and moulded key. The front door is boarded. Set back to R is a lower 1-window wing, which has a lower projection behind it.

The old house on L side has mainly cement-rendered, battered walls with pantile roof and a corbelled first-floor stack to L gable end cut down at the ridge. Facing the yard are boarded doors R and L with a fixed small-pane window centre-R and a fixed small-pane window upper R, probably originally a doorway. In the L gable end the old house has small attic lights flanking the stack and an inserted doorway lower R. A short pent-roofed link is at the rear and is attached to the house and barn. At the rear, the old house has 2 narrow strips in the upper storey formed by narrowing earlier windows, and 2 windows with brick surrounds in the lower storey to the L of which is a lean-to 'ty bach' and an outshut housing the stair.

The rear of the main house has a shallow 2-window outshut to R with 3- and 2-light windows in the main room overlooking the floodplain of the River Rhymney. Above is a 2-light window under a gablet, the 3-window front to the L having similar 2-light windows, under gablets in the upper storey. The doorway is offset to R with a similar porch to the front.

Interior

The old house retains good interior detail of a C16 hall house, which had an end entry next to the main fireplace. The present first floor is lower than the original, but a single original cross beam survives with a broach stop and a blank shield in relief. A turning stone stairway has a cross-slab roof, at the top of which is a Tudor-headed doorway. A square-headed doorway opens to the former attic stone stair, cut down when the roof was lowered. At the W end are the stone jambs of a former first-floor fireplace.

The main house has C19 panelled shutters to the openings, but no visible C17 features.

Reason for designation

Included as a large sub-medieval farm house, one of the best preserved in the area, retaining early detail and C19 improvement typical of the Tredegar Estate. Forms a strong visual group with the barn.