L-plan barn ranges at Maesllech

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 0.6km SW of Llanlleonfel church and reached by a farm road S of the A483. The barn is on the E side of the farmyard.

History

In the C17 Maesllech was the home of a branch of the Gwynne family of nearby Garth, and subsequently became part of the Garth estate. The lower barn is late C17, to which a second, upper barn was added at right angles in the early C19 and is shown on the 1844 Tithe map. The early farmhouse was replaced by the present house in the C19.

Exterior

Two barns forming an L-shaped range, comprising the earlier lower barn on a sloping site, with the later barn built at right angles to it across the slope. The lower barn has a high rubble-stone sill. Its walls are simple box-framing now concealed by weatherboarding and corrugated iron sheets. The steeply-pitched roof has a half-hipped lower end and has a corrugated iron roof. The threshing bay has full-height boarded doors on the E side, but on the W side facing the yard it is infilled by a low blockwork wall with corrugated sheets above.

The upper barn is rubble stone with corrugated iron roof. Facing the yard on its S side is a full-height doorway in the angle with the lower barn, with replaced boarded and corrugated iron doors, L of which are 2 ventilation strips. A lower cart shed, added in the late C19, is attached to the L gable end, obscuring stepped ventilation strips. It is of 2 units, open-fronted to the yard with slate roof on the R side and corrugated iron roof on the L side. A lean-to is built against its gable end with boarded door under a wooden lintel.

The R gable end of the upper barn projects slightly in front of the line of the lower barn. Its gable end has 2 ventilation strips, and a loft doorway in a corrugated iron gable. The N side wall has a full-height doorway with double corrugated iron doors offset to the R, flanked by pairs of ventilation strips on both sides. The cart shed has a rubble stone rear wall.

Interior

The lower barn has 3 central bays with narrower outer bays, and retains 4 cruck trusses with lapped tie beams and collar beams.

Reason for designation

Listed primarily as a rare C17 barn retaining its original cruck trusses.