Gelli

Cadw's description

Location

Located opposite churchyard of Eglwys y Santes Fawr at junction of Lon-y-Wern (minor road to Bryn-twrw) and B 4409; low rubblestone wall with decorated iron gates and cobbled paths in front of cottage.

History

Shown on the 1839 Tithe Map, the cottage is likely to have been built only shortly before this date, its occupants probably working in one of the neighbouring slate quarries, most probably the Penrhyn Slate Quarry near Bethesda, which was rapidly expanding at this period. The cottage is typical of those slightly later cottages sited at some distance from the quarry where the distance from the quarry was compensated for by the location in better-quality agricultural land, of which the part allocated to the cottage was worked by the occupants for their own use. The single-room section may be an addition to the original cottage.

Exterior

Single-storey building of linear form, aligned roughly north-south, the larger part to right (south) of 2-unit plan with very slightly lower single-room section on left. Roughly coursed rubblestone; slate roof with purple brick coping to main part. This has 4-paned casement windows with slate cills on either side of offset boarded door under bracketed lean-to hood; rendered integral end stacks. Section to left has 12-paned sash to left of boarded door and a rendered integral end stack. Small C20 extension at rear.

Interior

Interior not accessible at time of Survey.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-preserved early C19 quarryman's/smallholder's cottage, built in the local vernacular tradition of the area. The building is a typical feature in the landscape of small fields and scattered cottages, characteristic of the upland settlement pattern associated with the development of quarrying in this region, albeit that in this case the cottage occupies a lowland roadside position in good agricultural land.