Plas-newydd

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 3km N of Ysceifiog, reached by farm road W of a minor road between Babell and Gorsedd. The house faces N behind a garden with iron railings.

History

Dated 1641 on the hall fireplace lintel, it was originally a 2-unit house of hall and parlour, and with a massive gable-end hall stack. In the late C19 the house was remodelled to suit contemporary taste by inserting larger sash windows, while the hall was narrowed to create an entrance hall. A cart house was also added in the second half of the C19, which has subsequently been partly adapted as an additional ground-floor room in the house.

Exterior

A 3-bay farmhouse of one storey and attic, of pebble-dashed walls and steep slate roof with 2 skylights and tall end stacks. Windows are late C19 4-pane sashes. In the upper storey they are within gabled half dormers with cusped barge boards and finials. The central doorway retains a panelled door inside a lately added lean-to porch. Against the L gable end is a 2-bay cart house with higher eaves line. It has wide segmental arches, of which the L-hand is open and the R-hand infilled and with an added window, and loft doors above. A rubble-stone lean-to projects to the L end of the cart house. The R gable end of the house is 2-window with 4-pane sashes, except for a small-pane horned sash window upper R. A boarded-up cellar opening is to the R side.

The rear has an enlarged window to the lower L, to the R of which is an added single-storey flat-roofed projection. In the upper storey are windows R and L, of which the L-hand retains a small-pane sash while the R-hand is replaced. Set at a lower level to the centre is a small-pane horned sash window lighting the stair. The rear of the cart house has a loft door to the R side. Behind the cart house the main house has an inserted upper-storey 2-light casement L of the stack.

Interior

The original hall, on the L side of the front, retains a single spine beam that continues into the present stair hall with closed string stair, and a fireplace with a dated timber lintel.

Reason for designation

Listed for architectural interest as a C17 farmhouse remodelled to suit late C19 taste, retaining late C19 character and C17 interior detail.