Beech Tree Farmhouse

Cadw's description

Location

On the north side of Glascoed Lane about 1000m west of the Glascoed crossroads in the direction of New Inn.

History

This is an early C17 house, which was increased in size probably in the C18 when a kitchen was made out of what was an existing attached agricultural building. It was improved again in the Victorian period and had a major refurbishment in the 1990s.

Exterior

The house is wholly rendered, presumably over local rubble stone and has Welsh slate roofs. It is a one and a half and two storey, three cell house with a rear outshut. The main elevation has the two storey section on the left on falling ground. The ground floor has window, door, window, window; the features are late C20 but their arrangement suggests that they are largely original openings. The windows are standard two light casements. The upper floor has another casement on the left and an eaves dormer on the right. Left gable stack and a central one in the cross-passage position. The left gable is blind, the right gable has a small window in the upper floor. Rear elevation (only partly seen) has an outshot and similar casements.

Interior

The plan is two cell gable entry with an addition at the entry (downhill) end to give an extra room. This may be a conversion of a former agricultural building which could be partly contemporary with the house, but the roof structure is definitely later than the house part.
The gable entry is the usual arrangement, to the left of a large fireplace with massive chamfered oak lintel and monolith jambs. The entrance has a chamfered oak surround with shaped head and door with planted mouldings which has been reset from its original position. To the right is a stone firestair, now disused. The inner room is still partly separated off by an oak post and panel screen with a doorway to the inner room. The panels may not survive in the screen and half the screen has been moved to the gable wall. The ceiling has chamfered cross beams with ogee stops and the joists are also chamfered and stopped. The inner room remains unheated. The main entrance is into a cross passage, now filled by a C20 stair but the rear wall has only a small window. The kitchen is at a considerably lower level and has a smaller and plainer fireplace with oak lintel and mid C19 bread oven to the right. To the left is another firestair, also blocked, with a 4-centred doorway. Plain ceiling beams. Modern rear extension. The first floor has no visible historic features. The roof is in three bays with principal rafters and ties and trenched purlins. The secondary rafters etc are part of a full recovering of the roof.

Reason for designation

Included as a good early C17 house retaining appearance and character.