Duffryn Farmhouse

Cadw's description

Location

In the far north west of Devauden Community approached by a track off the north side of the Raglan Road about equidistant between Llanishen and the Church of St Michael, Llanvihangel-tor-y-mynydd.

History

A late C17 three cell, one-and-a-half storey, cross-passage house with a C19 single storey kitchen wing added at the top end. The whole house was set into the slope so that there was an under kitchen at the bottom end. The interpretation of the house is made difficult by the wholescale removal or covering up of ancient features, such as windows and fireplaces, but there appears to have been little change as to the planning. The house was re-tiled in 1975.

Exterior

Built of rendered and painted sandstone rubble with concrete interlocking tile roof. The entrance front has two windows to the left of the door, both 3 + 3 pane timber casements. C17 plank door. To the right is a projecting half-round bread oven, hall window with four 3-pane lights, a projecting kitchen wing with another window the same, this wing also has a rear window and an outshut to the gable, red brick stack. The first floor of the house has four 2-light half dormers with sloping tops. Three ridge stacks of which the central one backing onto the cross-passage is ancient; this has weathering to suggest that the roof was originally thatched. The downhill gable has an attached garage, the uphill one has two C19 sash windows. This cell, beyond the third chimney, may have been a granary before incorporation into the house. Garden elevation from the left has two C20 steel casements, a French casement, the projecting stair-turret (see Interior). Rear door to cross-passage, modern casement; with French doors and casement below in the lower kitchen. The upper floor has two dormers as before and a modern casement in the stair gable.

Interior

The cross-passage has a late C19 stair with turned balusters. The stair has gone from the rear C17 stair-turret; this became necessary in the late Cl9 when a corridor was put along the rear upstairs wall. The old fireplaces have gone or are hidden. Beams with bar-and-runout stops in the cross-passage, and with lambs'-tongue stops in the parlour. C17 roof with three principal rafter trusses below the main stack and one above, two tiers of purlins and ridge piece, the rafters are nearly all original as far as can be seen.

Reason for designation

Included as a late C17 farmhouse retaining early character and layout.