Bodwigan and attached agricultural range

Cadw's description

Location

In an isolated rural location, reached by private trackway W of the country road between Bodedern and Llanrhyddlad. Bodwigan is located c350m NW of Llynon Hall and c1.5km WSW of the church in the village of Llanddeusant.

History

Early C18 farmhouse, with datestone over the front entrance which reads: W / I M / Bodwigan / 1712. The agricultural range attached to the L was originally freestanding, and was extended by the additions of single bays to either end of the original 2 bay building in the mid to late C19, connecting to the house. The two structures are not linked on the Tithe Map of the parish, 1842. By the time of the Tithe assessment the farm formed part of the Llynon estate, owned by Herbert Jones Esq, a farmstead of over 59 acres (23.90 hectares) farmed by John Williams. The history of Bodwigan predates the present house, which suggests the current house may have been built upon the site of an earlier dwelling; recorded by Lewis Morris in the 1740s as being the home of Robert ap Huw, renowned musician or bard from the reign of Charles I and great-great-uncle to Willam Jones, celebrated mathematician and assistant to Isaac Newton.

Exterior

An early C18 2-storey vernacular farmhouse, a 3-window range with widely spaced windows along a long linear range. Built of rubble masonry, the entrance elevation limewashed. Roof of small old slates, grouted, with tiled coping and large gable stacks with dripstones. To the SW of the farmhouse is a single storey agricultural range which has been joined to the house by the addition of a linking block. The entrance elevation to the house faces SE, a 3-window range with central doorway, now in modern flat-roofed porch; directly over the door is an inscribed stone which reads: W / I M / Bodwigan / 1712. Windows are 4-pane horned sashes, with the exception of a small single paned fixed light (to pantry or inglenook) offset to the far L (SW) end. The rear of the farmhouse has sparse, scattered fenestration including a 4-pane sash, a 6-pane sash (both horned) and 2 modern casements; rear doorway is offset to the L, now with modern flat-roofed porch.
The attached agricultural range is of 4 bays; the oldest part comprising the central 2 bays, extended by the addition of a single bay to the far L (SW) and another to the R (NE) linking the range to the house. Originally the range was probably used as a cowhouse, each bay with a single doorway, adapted for other uses and windows added to L of the LH doorway and to R of the 2nd doorway along the range from the house. The rear of the range has a corrugated iron structure built against the rear wall.

Interior

Interior not inspected at the time of the survey.

Reason for designation

Listed as an excellent early C18 farmstead group of immense vernacular character.