Ty'n-yr-hendre

Cadw's description

Location

Located off east side of minor road climbing south-eastwards off the A 55 towards Bronydd Isaf; the former farmhouse is situated on rising ground approximately 70m from the nearest part of the farmbuildings and is served by a separate driveway.

History

Built c1860 by the Penrhyn Estate as the farmhouse for the model farm at Ty'n-yr-hendre. The fact that, even for a model farm, the farmhouse is unusually distant from the farmbuildings and of more than average architectural distinction reflects the farm's role as the estate's specialist horse farm and that the farmhouse was occupied by an estate official rather than by a tenant farmer. The farmhouse is now a private house.

Exterior

2-storey, H-plan farmhouse with L-shaped range of single-storey outbuildings attached at rear, all in the characteristic mild Gothic style much used by the Penrhyn Estate for its buildings in the later C19. Roughly coursed rubblestone to sides and rear with more finely coursed and dressed but still irregular rubblestone to front, all windows with voussoirs to slightly cambered heads; slate roof with overhanging verges and carved purlin ends. Front of 1:1:1 symmetrical bays, centre slightly recessed from gabled wings; first-floor windows mullioned and transomed with glazing bars to upper and lower lights; 2-light 4-paned window in narrow gabled dormer breaking eaves to centre. Ground floor has large 3-light mullioned and transomed windows to wings with glazing bars like those on first floor; central ornamental timber lean-to porch with coupled and chamfered timber posts on staddlestones and pointed outer arch over 6-panel front door (3 over 3). Prominent ridge stacks to wings have stone bases and 4 rebated shafts with stepped capping. Right return has mullioned and transomed window towards rear; similar but less formal fenestration pattern to rear as on front; L-shaped outbuildings protected by screen wall in line with right return of house.

Interior

Interior not accessible at time of Survey but noted as retaining original fireplaces to the principal ground-floor rooms.

Reason for designation

Included as a substantial and essentially unaltered mid-Victorian estate farmhouse, important for its physical and historical association with the remarkably well-preserved model farmbuildings of Ty'n-yr-hendre; also significant as evidence of the social hierarchy employed on the Penrhyn Estate's farms.