Maes-y-Bidiau

Cadw's description

Location

Set back from the N side of the B4310 Brechfa to Abergorlech road approximately 4.6km NE of Brechfa.

History

An early C18 cruck-framed house, with a lower byre originally forming a longhouse. The house was altered in the C19 by making a new central entrance with stair hall, and when at least part of the byre was incorporated into the domestic accommodation and a small outshut was added. The house was restored late C20.

Exterior

A 1½-storey house of whitened rubble stone, steep slate roof, C17 square stone stack to the L and smaller stack to the R. A central C19 boarded door is under a wooden lintel and an overlight beneath the eaves. It is flanked by inserted windows. The R gable end has an added small lean-to and an inserted attic window upper L in the gable. The lower rubble-stone single-storey former byre, to the L of the original house, has a C20 boarded door to the R replaced in an original opening (and comprising the original entrance to the longhouse), then 2 inserted windows and a window to the L in place of an earlier but not original byre door. A garage has been added in-line at the end of the former byre. The rear of the former byre has an outshut, formerly a dairy, with replaced window to the L and skylights. The rear of the main house also has skylights. It has a C19 stair window beneath the eaves centre-L, to the R of which is an inserted window under an added roof dormer, and to the L of which is a shallow outshut under a catslide roof, with enlarged window.

Interior

Three pairs of scarfed crucks are retained and are the earliest surviving features. The present interior plan is C19, however. The entrance opens into a small stair hall with dog-leg stair. The floor is laid with C19 quarry tiles. The original hall, to the L, retains a fireplace with large timber lintel. To its L is a wood-framed doorway forming the original entrance to the domestic accommodation.

Reason for designation

Listed as a well-preserved cruck-framed longhouse, one of the few surviving of a once common regional building type.