Tai'r-meibion

Cadw's description

Location

Located approximately 450m north-east of Tan-yr-allt Cottages on the south side of the A 55 at the point where it is joined by the old Bangor to Conwy road; garden to west.

History

Built in the 1890s as the farmhouse of the Penrhyn Estate farm at Tai'r-meibion, one of the last such farms to be built by the estate in the area and coinciding with a period of national agricultural depression.

Exterior

2-storey farmhouse with slightly projecting gabled range to left at front, continuing to rear, and another gabled range at right-angles to rear of main range, all in the characteristic mild Gothic style much used by the Penrhyn Estate for its buildings in the later C19. Irregularly coursed rubblestone to sides and rear, snecked to front; chamfered plinth; slate roofs with overhanging verges and carved purlin ends. Front gable has 2-light mullioned and transomed window on first floor and one of 3 lights to ground floor, both with glazing bars and voussoirs to wedge lintels; main range has asymmetrically gabled porch in angle with gabled range having steep Tudor-arch and recessed 4-panel door (top panels glazed) of same shape; mullioned and transomed window to right with 2-light 12-paned casement in gabled dormer breaking eaves directly above, while immediately above the porch is a raking dormer. Gabled range has prominent ridge stack with stone base and 4 rebated brick shafts with stepped stone capping and chimneypots; identical stack to ridge of rear gabled range close to junction with main range. Left return of gabled range has lean-to open porch with timber posts and 6-panel door (3 over 3); windows directly above and to left. Low range of attached outbuildings around small courtyard to rear.

Interior

Interior not accessible at time of Survey.

Reason for designation

Included as an essentially unaltered farmhouse at the heart of a late C19 model estate farm, one of the last established by the Penrhyn Estate in the area as part of its major agricutural improvements during the period c1840 to 1900; important as evidence of highly developed and sophisticated farm planning, a continuation of the Penrhyn Estate's remarkable programme of agricultural improvement into the last decade of the C19.