Range including pigsties, laundry, slaughter house, cartsheds and coalshed at Llwydiarth Esgob Farm

Cadw's description

Location

Set well back, along a private driveway, from the N side of a country road leading E off the B5111 out of Llanerchymedd towards Benllech. The pigsty, laundry and slaughter house range is located NE of the farmhouse.

History

C19 agricultural range, built in several phases. The earliest part is to the L (W), built early C19, to which a slaughter house was added, followed by a cartshed range in the mid C19. The present layout is shown on the 1889 OS 25" map.

Exterior

Range including (from L to R): pigsties and laundry in a 2-storey end bay, with an attached 1-storey range comprising slaughter house, cartsheds and coalshed. Rubble walls and slate roof; that to the L part re-slated. The L end of the range is a gabled bay with a tall, wide doorway inserted; the arch of a former window can be seen above. This part of the building, now one space, formerly housed pigs on the ground floor, with yards abutting the L end of the building, and a laundry on the 1st floor, accessed via a stone stair to the L (partly demolished), leading to a low doorway in the L return, now infilled. The two pigsty yards are stone-built with slate feeding chutes; the former openings into the houses under the laundry are infilled, though retaining the brick arched heads. The laundry has a cruciform timber window with 2 lights over shutters to the L hand end of the L return, with a 12-pane sash to the rear wall, with internal panelled shutters.
The slaughter house is to the R of the former laundry; 2 broad boarded doors set under the eaves, the R hand side of which leads to the slaughter room. To the rear of the slaughterhouse is a 2-bay cowhouse, with a door in the gable wall, with an arched stone head, and large windows either side, with 3-panes over 2 shutters. Attached to the R of the slaughter house is a 3-bay cartshed with brick basket-arched heads, with a 1-bay cartshed and coalshed added to the R gable, with a stepped down ridge line. The coalshed has a narrower doorway, with a similar brick arch head, and a boarded door.

Interior

The interior of the laundry has been opened into one room. The slaughter house has 3 roof bays, with collared roof trusses. A large beam at high level has a wooden pulley, used to control the animals. There is also a small hole through the wall into the room to the L, said by the owner to have also been used to control animal by pulling on a rope. In the L corner of the slaughter house is a large open boiler. The cartshed has a kingpost with struts roof truss.

Reason for designation

Listed at Grade II* as a good agricultural range, built in several phases but retaining a unity of vernacular design and construction. The range is notable for the retention of a slaughter house, which together with the other parts of the range provide an unusually detailed picture of life on a large, progressive farm in the mid-late C19. The range also forms an important part of the comprehensive farmstead group at Llwydiarth Esgob Farm, which together reflect the ideals of a gentlemen farmer during the era of Victorian high farming.