Plas Bodafon

Cadw's description

Location

In an isolated rural location and set back, along a private driveway, from the SE side of a country road leading NW from Mynydd Bodafon to the village of Brynrefail. Located c500m S of the Church of St Michael.

History

The oldest part of the house is retained in the fabric at the L (N) of the range; a ground floor lintel inscribed with the initials and date: IW 1584 IR. Enlarged and remodelled in late C17-early C18 and further extended to the S in the 1920s. The house formed the estate centre for the Bodafon estate, owned and occupied in the mid C19 by Wm Mason Esq.

Exterior

Sub-medieval house, 2-storeys and attic, a 5-window range with single bay wing added to the S end. Built of rubble masonry, painted and rendered. Slate roof with crow stepped gable surmounted by a ball finial to each end (that to S is an early C20 copy). There are 3 stacks along the range; to the S end, marking the end of the C17 house, is a slender rendered rectangular stack; to its L (N) are 2 tall square ashlar stacks with dripstones and capping, set just to either side of the ridge. The entrance elevation faces W, the doorway offset to the S under a C20 Georgian style portico; irregular layout, comprising 3 wide bays to N with entrance offset towards S, and a narrower bay to its right. Southernmost bay beyond this is a 1920s addition windows mainly 4-pane sashes, but 16-pane sash to 1st floor right of doorway and fixed small-pane light in early doorway with lintel inscribed with the initials and date: IW 1584 IR; at the S end of the range is a slate datestone which reads: DWM - WLWM / 1925.

The rear elevation is rendered and colour washed: 5 bays with varied fenestration to 1st floor including 2 small-pane sashes to the left. Ground floor has mixture of 4-pane sashes and casement window; remains of late Victorian verandah with timber posts incorporated in C20 conservatory to right.

The S gable return has a small light fixed in the gable apex and a single ground floor 4-pane sash with doorway to the L (W); the N gable return has a single ground floor 12-pane hornless sash window, the 1st floor has timber mullioned window and there is a single small fixed light in the gable apex.

Interior

The oldest part of the house is to the N end and retains some chamfered beams and a massive chamfered bresummer. The late C17 portion of the house retains some beaded boarded ceilings and doors.

Reason for designation

Listed as a significant sub-medieval gentry house with some good early detail.