Pen-y-Clip

Cadw's description

Location

Situated at western end of Fachwen on wooded slope immediately by the side of the Brynrefail to Dinorwic Road on the north side of Llyn Padarn; there is a large rock outcrop immediately behind the 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 room with no stack and possibly originally an outbuilding.

Exterior

Single-storey 3-room plan, aligned roughly east-west. Irregularly coursed rubblestone with buttered pointing; slate roof. Front has tall C20 6-paned casements to left on either side of central boarded door and another similar but shorter 6-paned window to right, the 2 parts separated by straight joint and ridge stack which, like the integral end stack to left, is rendered.

Interior

Interior not accessible 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.