Pigsty-henhouse range and attached yard at Caerau

Cadw's description

Location

In an isolated coastal location, along a private trackway set back from the W side of the country road leading to Church Bay or Porth Swtan; c750m SW of the Church of St Rhyddlad. The range is across the yard directly S of the cottage.

History

Early to mid C19 pigsty and henhouse range. Caerau was formerly a smallholding, or 'tyddyn'. The group includes a cottage range, boiling house range (both also listed), and the pigsty-henhouse range. The cottage range is marked as a simple rectangle on the Tithe Map of the parish of Llanrhuddlad, 1843. The map is poorly annotated, not all the buildings are shown and none of the agricultural buildings are recorded, therefore the maps cannot be used as reliable dating indicators. The name is recorded as 'Caerau Mill' and includes the parcel of land on which Melin Drylliau stands. Owned by John Williams, the tenant is recorded as William Rowlands, one of the renowned family of Anglesey millers, also farming over 20 acres(8.1 hectares) of land. By the late C19 the smallholding formed part of the Tregarnedd estate; now in private ownership.

Exterior

Single storey range incorporating pigsty with yard to N, and henhouse to S. Built of drystone (with a clay/earth core?) with flat stone quoins and rounded fieldstone walls; mortar pointing. Mono-pitched roof of old small slates, heavily grouted; small skylight to (E) pitch of henhouse roof. The pigsty has a low door in the E wall (at the lower eaves of the monopitched roof), opening onto a stone walled yard incorporating feeding chutes. The henhouse has a timber-framed 2-pane window in the E elevation (to let in the early morning light and induce the laying of eggs) along with the skylight; doorway to rear elevation.

Reason for designation

Listed as a good early-mid C19 vernacular pigsty and henhouse range, which together with the cottage and boiling house range form part of the complete smallholding group at Caerau.