Range of farm buildings at Tre-Owen Farm

Cadw's description

Location

About 4.5km WSW of Monmouth and 1km NNE of Dingestow church, on the E side of the track leading to Tre-Owen and about 50m SW of the house.

History

Apparently built, remodelled and altered in several phases from the C17 to the C19.

Exterior

An L-shaped complex enclosing the N and W side of the farmyard, comprising a long cow-house on a N-S axis with a later lofted cart-shed continued from the N end and linking it to the S side of a barn standing at right-angles and extending to the E. Built variously of random rubble and handmade red and brown brick, with roofs partly blue slate and partly corrugated iron.
The cow-house is a long, low range of 8 structural bays built along a slight slope, the land to the rear (W) being slightly lower than at the front. It is mostly of mixed random rubble but the upper part of the rear wall and of the S gable are of handmade brown brick, and the roof is clad with corrugated iron with some translucent corrugated-sheet skylights. The E front is interrupted by wide full-height openings approximately corresponding to the 1st, 5th and 7th bays, which have been broken through in a phase of remodelling (In the 1950's as conversion to milking parlour), as indicated by 2 blocked windows with wooden lintels between the 1st and 2nd openings, and parts of 2 others in the sides of the latter. Mounting up the front of the 8th bay is a flight of rubble-built steps leading to a loft doorway in the cart-shed. At the rear the rubble-built lower part of the wall (which is very irregular) contains evidence of several blocked windows; and the brick-built upper part suggests a phase of remodelling in which the walls were heightened.
The front (E) of the cart-shed is built of handmade red brick in Flemish bond, the rear of rubble, and the roof covered with blue slate. It is of 2 low storeys, the ground floor of 3 open bays with 2 brick piers bridged by massive timber lintels, and in the 1st bay there is now a set-back wooden wall with a 2-light window and a narrow doorway. Above this is a loft doorway breaking the eaves, the roof lifted over it, and in the centre bay is a 2-light wooden window with 4 panes in each light. The N end of the cart shed covers part of the S side of the barn, and its roof carries across to meet the roof of that slightly below the ridge.
The barn has walls of random rubble and a roof mostly of blue slate, but replaced over the W bay by corrugated iron. It appears to have a 5-bay plan with a central wagon doorway. This is full-height, with quoined jambs and relatively-recent split-level board doors, including a small wicket door in the lower part. To the right, each of the 2 E bays has an unusual very tall breather horizontally-divided by a single "transom" stone in the middle.

Interior

The cow-house contains 7 asymmetrical collar trusses (the E wall being slightly higher than the W) alternately with 1 and 2 collars, carrying 2 tiers of trenched purlins. The structure appears to be of C18 date. (Interiors of cart-shed and barn not inspected.)

Reason for designation

Listed primarily for group value and historical association with Tre-Owen, but also as an interestingly-varied complex indicative of several phases of historical change.