Farm buildings at Fronfraith Farm

Cadw's description

Location

Situated SW of Fronfraith Farmhouse, some 50m down former drive running S from lane to Capel Dewi.

History

Mid to later C19 estate farm buildings, including barn, lofted cartshed, stables, lofted coach-house, hay-barn and smaller buildings around a farm court. built for the Bonsall family of Fronfraith, a later C18 house built for Thomas Bonsall, entrepreneur in lead-mining. The house was situated further down the drive to the SW and was demolished in the later C20. the farm buildings are not marked on the 1838 tithe map.

Exterior

Farm-buildings, rubble stone with slate roofs. around farm court. N range of barn to E and lofted cart-shed to W has added late C19 open-bay hayshed on E end.
N range has high-door barn to right with stone-voussoirs to cambered arched doorway. Three loops each side, two above, one central below, part masked by pigsties coming forward to right, and by corrugated iron lean-to to left with cast-iron columns. Lean-to extends in front of lofted section to left of barn with 3 casement-pair windows under eaves, and W end steps to loft door. N side has 3 broad elliptical-arched cart-entries with stone voussoirs to arches and similar loft windows above. Barn rear to left has C20 lean-to to right of tall barn door with 3 loops to left. Hay barn on E end is of 3 bays with square piers, stone high plinths and brick stepped bases to brick piers. Slate roof slightly lower than main range roof. Tie-beam truss to E gable.
W range has slate roof with 3 ventilators and a chimney. E side to court has narrow windows under eaves and a door between 2 windows, with stone voussoirs, at right end. Various added lean-tos to left end. Rear W has yellow brick late C19 addition with parallel roof at left, then sequence of doors and windows with stone voussoirs, two doors alternated with 2 windows, then door between 2 windows. Further right, lofted section under same roof with 3 small square 9-pane tilting loft lights over a window and 2 elliptical-arched coach entries. Door between window an first coach-entry. Ledged double coach-house doors with strap hinges. Damaged brick S end lean-to and window in gable above.
Minor single-storey S and E ranges, altered: plain S range, and single-storey E range with former open bays now infilled.

Interior

Barn has C19 bolted collar trusses.

Reason for designation

Included as a well-preserved mid to later C19 estate farm group, principal survivor of an important gentry estate of the region, and good example of an improvement period planned farmstead.