Neuadd Talgai

Cadw's description

Location

Situated directly to the north of the Church of St Tegai with the wall to Penrhyn Park to the north; separated from the churchyard by the railings running along the northern side of its yew-lined avenue.

History

Built in 1813 at expense of the Penrhyn Estate as school for village girls with attached schoolmistress's cottage, one of the first buildings provided for public benefit in the estate village of Llandygai; the school is now a community hall shared by the villages of Llandygai and Taly-bont.

Exterior

Former school and attached schoolmistress's cottage. Picturesque Gothic style, school of basic L-plan with cottage set back to north; whole constructed of roughcast rubblestone, painted to cottage; slate roofs, hipped to school with wide spreading bracketed eaves. Front (west) wall of main school range has 3 mullioned and transomed timber windows with dripstones, of 4 lights to left and right, of 2 lights to centre, all with arched heads above the transom; same window in 4 lights to right return and another of 2 lights in back wall adjoining rear range, which has large gabled porch projecting in angle with main range bearing recessed slate inscription panel reading "This School was Erected /by/ Ann Susanah/ Baroness Penrhyn/ And the Land Granted/ by Richard Pennant Esq'r/ Ann. Dom. Mdcccxiii." Below is a recessed nail-studded door in steeply-pointed Tudor arch and to the right of the porch is a small single-storey hip-roofed addition with 2 windows to the front wall; back wall of rear range has 4-light timber mullion window, each light divided into 8 panes. Conical metal flue to centre of ridge on main range and tall stack with chimneypots to rear range.

Interior

Hall has boarded floor and glazed screen dividing the front and rear sections.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-preserved early C19 school and attached schoolmistres's cottage of Picturesque style, forming a primary element in the social and architectural history of this important planned estate village; good group with the adjoining parish church and boundary railings.