Tanysgafell

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on the B 4409 between Braichmelyn and Tregarth, the cottages are slightly set back from the road and are well screened by vegetation to the front.

History

Built as part of a small planned group of 3 paired cottages for workers at the nearby Penrhyn Slate Quarry, the cottages are likely to have been built between 1840 and 1850 and as such are typical of Edward Douglas-Pennant's considerable efforts to improve the Penrhyn Estate, to which he had succeeded in 1840.

Exterior

Belongs to a group of 2.

Nos 3 & 4 Tanysgafell, Llandygai.

Symmetrical single-storey pair of 2-room cottages constructed of slate-hung rubblestone; slate roof. Central entrance to each cottage with originally open hip-roofed slate porch flanked by small hip-roofed canted bays with slate cills supported on carved slate brackets, No.3 (right cottage) containing horizontal sliding sashes with leaded latticed lights and No.4 (left cottage) with replacement plastic windows; slate slab end chimney and ridge stack to each cottage, all with stepped capping and slate-sheeted bases except ridge stack to No.4 which has been rebuilt. Continuous single-storey lean-to on rear. No.3 has C20 porch with half-glazed outer door and fully glazed inner door; No.4 now with C20 outer door to its porch.

Reason for designation

Included as essentially unaltered mid-C19 estate cottages of the simple 'vernacular revival' style particularly favoured by the Penrhyn Estate for its workers. These cottages are a particularly early example of the type and notable for being part of a tiny planned quarrymen's community.