Tan y Graig

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on wooded slope off west side of track leading down from the Brynrefail to Dinorwic Road towards the former slate quarry on the north side of Llyn Padarn; low rubblestone wall in front of cottage.

History

Not shown on the 1838 Tithe Map, the cottage is likely to have been built before 1850, Fachwen having been purchased by the Vaynol Estate in 1840 as a convenient place in which to establish its by then preferred pattern of quarrymen's cottages without land situated close to the Dinorwic Quarry. As part of this process, the Estate in c1842 divided Fachwen up into about 30 holdings on which the quarrymen were allowed to build individual cottages under Estate control. The cottage appears to be of 2 distinct phases, the earlier part to the left and of 2-room plan with integral end stacks, the right of which became a ridge stack when the right room (with its own end stack) was added in the later C19.

Exterior

Single-storey 3-room plan, aligned roughly east-west. Limewashed irregularly coursed rubblestone; slate roof. Front has 4-paned sashes with slate cills to left on either side of offset boarded door with 2 further 4-paned sashes to right, the 2 parts separated by ridge stack which, like the 2 integral end stacks, is rendered with slate drips. Lean-to on rear and another to right gable end with sheet roof.

Interior

Interior not inspected at time of Survey.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-preserved example of the small quarryman's cottage without land typical of the post-1840 phase of Vaynol Estate-authorised settlement associated with Thomas Assheton Smith's continued development of the Dinorwic Slate Quarry; Fachwen is a particularly important survival from this process of landowner-controlled settlement.