Ty Fanner

Cadw's description

Location

Located immediately to the W of Cymer Abbey ruins; accessed via a lane running NE from the main road.

History

Late Medieval hall house, probably the former abbot's lodgings to Cymer Abbey, part of whose W range the building formed. The hall, open until c1900 is 7m wide and as such is the widest known example in Meirionnydd. It is of 4 bays with arched-braced collar trusses and gable trusses and is of evident quality; it is likely to be late C15 rather than early C16, and the existence of a pointed-arched entrance in the lower W wall suggests the possibility of an earlier core. The house appears to have been of the ~end passage' type with the entry to the S and the dais end to the N. The original parlour cross-wing at this N end has long since disappeared. Adjoining the hall range to the W is a further cross-wing with a probably mid- C16 2-bay solar roof and a parlour (later kitchen) beneath, representing a post-Dissolution remodelling of an earlier range. Further cosmetic alterations of the late C17. The house, long used as a barn was re-occupied by the present owner's grandfather c1900 when the hall was floored over.

Exterior

T-plan, of one-and-a-half storeys. Rubble construction with new slate roof; rendered and heavily battered W gable. Central, tiered stack to W wing with plain end stacks to the W and S gables. The main (E) front faces the abbey church and has a large entrance at L with a modern open, slate-roofed porch. Wide, ribbed and panelled late C17 door in earlier, probably mid-C16 broach-stopped, pegged doorcase; 2 plain, square lights above. To the R, 2 late C17 leaded wooden cross-windows with ovolo-moulded transomes and frames; modern buttress between the two with a further buttress to far R. Above, two plain-gabled rubble dormers with out-of-character 2-light modern windows and modern bargeboards. The S side has an entrance to the recessed parlour wing with modern half-open porch; flanking modern 12-pane recessed sash windows. Further modern windows to the advanced hall (S) gable, with pointed relieving arches and rubble voussoirs. The Nside has a blocked primary entrance to the L of the hall gable with modern windows to ground and first floors. Two 12-pane sashes as before to the recessed right-hand section with a further plain modern window to the L and a modern catslide dormer above; further modern windows to the W gable.

Interior

The hall has a partition where the former passage screen stood; an ex-situ C17 external studded door has been built into a section of post-and-panel screen in the W wall. Plain c1900 stair with a balustraded upper flight and landing re-using 8 late C17 turned balusters from the former hall stair. 5 arched-braced collar trusses to the hall roof (including end trusses) with 2 tiers of cusped windbraces. The central truss has a roll flanked by 2 hollow mouldings and has cusped, trefoil decoration; the remaining trusses have quarter-round mouldings. 2-bay arched-braced collar truss roof to later upper solar with trenched purlins and windbraces; cusped apex to truss. Stopped-chamfered ceiling to former parlour (now kitchen) belowwith large fireplace, its bressummer obscured.

Reason for designation

Included at Grade II* as a highly important late Medieval hall associated with Cymer Abbey.

Group value with the other listed items at Cymer Abbey.