Cart shelter, barn, granary and smithy at Madryn Farm

Cadw's description

Location

Situated directly on north-west side of A 55 dual-carriageway with farmhouse to north-east and large modern farmbuildings to north-west and south-west; main building situated parallel with and to south-east of stable range, others abut walled yards.

History

Built in the 1880s as the model farm for Gorddinog, a large house nearby in severe Tudor Gothic style, built for the Platt family, industrialists from Oldham (Lancs.), who created a small country estate here, of which the farm manager's house and highly mechanised farmbuildings at Madryn formed an integral part.

Exterior

Model farmbuildings with long cowhouse/stable range on east divided by Tudor Gothic style gatehouse (the gatehouse range), a large yard for cows on south with mock crenellated wall to south side and 2 substantial parallel ranges north of the yard (the south containing a cart shelter, barn with granary above and smithy, the north housing the main stabling), linked by a connecting range on west. Mixture of uncoursed and roughly coursed rubblestone to main buildings with regularly coursed and dressed rubblestone blocks to gatehouse; slate roofs, of gable ended or lean-to form except for north end of connecting range on west which is half-hipped. The whole complex was formerly protected by a screen wall to the north (as still exists on the south side of the large yard) but, apart from a short section of crenellated wall in the north-east corner, this has now been demolished.

Barn/cart shelter and smithy range with granary above. South side has 6 square openings to eaves, 4 retaining ventilated louvres for grain store on this floor; below are 5 wide segmental-headed openings with voussoirs, the openings to the right paired and larger than the others; second opening from the left is partly blocked with doorway in infill and has iron wheel for driving gear above; 2 segmental-headed windows to left of left opening; wide segmental-headed opening in west gable end and lean-to on north. Smithy is also entered on north side towards east end.

Interior

King-post roof trusses to granary above barn. Smithy is particularly well-preserved, retaining a large brick-built furnace and wooden work benches fixed to the walls.

Reason for designation

Included, despite a degree of C20 alteration and limited demolition, as an integral part of a largely complete late C19 model farm of a comparatively small country estate, important for showing the extent to which such farms were by this date becoming highly mechanised, almost industrial units.