Farmbuildings at Tai'r-meibion

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on gently rising ground immediately behind the farmhouse at Tai'r-meibion; large grain silo in south-eastern corner of yard with large agricultural shed covering much of western part of yard; further late C20 farmbuildings to south of yard.

History

Built in the 1890s as the farmbuildings 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

Essentially U-shaped farmbuildings grouped around 3 sides of farmyard with boundary wall on north side, to inner face of which is attached a long rectangular-plan open-fronted shelter shed occupying the centre of the yard. Roughly coursed rubblestone; hipped slate roofs with ridge ventilators. East range comprises cowhouse to north and cart shelter with granary above to south end, continuing as equal-height barn to south range, the lower western part of which is the stables; long cowhouse range on west side of yard. Cart shelter has 4 segmental-headed openings on non-yard side, southern of which gives access to yard; 3 eaves windows, below the right of which is an inserted doorway; 2 irregularly spaced doors and windows to cowhouse. Yard side of cart shelter has straight-flight slate steps with stone side walls to left of entrance rising to boarded door; eaves window above entrance. Barn in south range has wide doorway to left (opposing entrance to back wall) with 2 tall narrow ventilation slits on right; alternating ventilator windows and stable doors to stable section with some altered and inserted openings. 5 regularly spaced boarded doors alternating with ventilator windows to non-yard side of west range with less regularly spaced openings beyond. Open-fronted shelter shed in centre of yard has 6 segmental-headed bays in long walls, the 3 northern and 3 southern bays separated by a stone cross-wall on the east side, now removed on west.

Interior

Cowhouses have A-frame roof trusses; 6-bay king-post roof to barn with loft in western bay; slate slab floor.

Reason for designation

Included, despite some modification, as the largely unaltered farmbuildings of the late C19 model estate farm at Tai'r-meibion, 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.