The Farmhouse and The Dairy, Upper Maerdy

Cadw's description

Location

Situated some 300m S of B4235, reached by lane from junction just E of bridge over A449 trunk road.

History

Farmhouse, probably C18. House divided in two when listed in 1980, and still divided in 1999, the two parts known as the Dairy and the Farmhouse. Marked on 1843 Tithe Map as owned by the Rev. James Tiler, occupied by Thomas James, with 95 acres (38.45 hectares).

Exterior

Farmhouse, roughcast rubble stone with slate roof and brick end stacks. Three storeys, three regular but not equally-spaced bays, one to left, two to right of off-centre door. Three-light casement windows, with cambered heads on lower storeys, upper windows under eaves. These mostly have original catches and some have original leading. Stone sills. Broad ledged door left of centre in gabled timber porch. E end small loft window above roof of wing.
Lower L-plan wing to left end. Short section to left of house has door to 'The Dairy' in C20 glazed porch. Long return has window with stone voussoirs below and loft light under eaves retaining shuttered unglazed windows with diagonal wooden mullion. Rubble stone rear has near symmetrical front of two 3-bay lofted sections, each side of a broad cambered-headed ground floor entry. Stone voussoirs to ground floor openings, loft lights under eaves. Two loft windows each side, those to left with C20 glazing, those to right boarded. Left side has ground floor outer door and then 2 doors under the loft windows, two of the doors part infilled with C20 windows, the third with C20 door. Right side has wider spacing, ground floor boarded window under second loft opening and outer door. Both ends have external stone stairs to loft doors. Rear of short link has ground floor small-paned casement pair, C20 window above.
Rear of main house has two small centre stair-lights and one ground floor triple casement to right, all with red brick heads. Lean-to addition to left. Some of rear roof is of asbestos sheet.

Reason for designation

Included as a good example of a regional type, the three-storey farmhouse, more common in the English border counties, and interesting lofted stable range attached.