Stable with servants quarters at Caerau

Cadw's description

Location

Located at the N side of the trackway leading to Caerau. The house is set back from the W side of a country road c750m NW of the Church of St Mary at Llanfairynghornwy; the stables are located c80m NE of the house, on the R of the approach.

History

Late C17 stable with servants loft over. The stables are not marked on the Tithe Map of the parish of Llanfairynghornwy, 1841; however, the map is poorly annotated, not all the buildings are shown and none of the agricultural buildings are recorded. In the C17 horses were used for riding only (oxen were used for ploughing), and were very expensive to buy and keep, which is reflected in the high quality of workmanship on stable buildings at that time (compared to cowhouses, for example). The stables were built slightly away from the farmhouse, which formed the centre of an extensive farmstead of over 300 acres(121.5 hectares); formerly owned by Sir Richard Williams Bulkeley.

Exterior

Two storey stable with servants quarters over, and lean-to to rear. Rubble masonry walls with boulder foundations; timber lintels. Five dove holes set high in the L (N) gable wall. Roof of small slates with rendered gable copings. Half dormer window to front elevation, with two to rear. Two door openings to the front, that to the R with a small square window to L, with a dormer window above, with crude oak mullion to 2-light window. Two gabled half dormers to rear, that to the L being the door to the 1st floor. Lean-to with rubble walls and slate roof to R, under window.

Interior

The stable is divided into 2 equal parts by a stone wall to eaves height, although this appears to be a later insertion. The interior walls are clay plastered with a lime plaster and limewashed coat. Stable to R has a blind window or cupboard built into the R gable wall. The roof is 4-bays, with heavy hewn and pegged A-frame trusses with dovetailed collars. The underside of the slate are torched (horse hair plastered). The floorboards to the servants loft are missing.

Reason for designation

Listed as a good and complete late C17 stable with servants quarters over, which retains a particularly fine set of vernacular roof trusses. Also forms a group with the farmhouse at Caerau.