Hendre

Cadw's description

Location

Located at the end of a short track which runs NE from Pont Ricket.

History

The down-hill siting of the farm-house suggests its early origins. Internal timberwork indicates a late sixteenth or early seventeenth century date, and delineates a lofted, 3-unit stone-built house. At some time, perhaps in the late eighteenth century, the house was raised in height (the earlier roofline is visible in the lower gable end) to provide a full upper storey. In 1990, it was sympathetically extended with a rear outshut; minor re-ordering of internal arrangement (particularly to first floor) took place at the same time.

Exterior

Aligned against the slope, Hendre is a one and a half storeyed, 3-unit house of local granite rubble with rough plinth in rear wall and roughly dressed quoins; Ffestiniog slate roof with tall stone axial stack. Main elevation faces south, with doorway in gabled porch at right of central unit. Modern timber casement windows of 2 and 3 lights to ground floor, with similar windows above, those to centre and left in swept dormers(?). Some disturbance in the wall between the two left hand windows of the ground floor suggests alteration in this bay (where a continuous timber lintel was discovered during restoration work in 1990). Lower gable end retains earlier (probably C18) small-paned cast iron casements of 4 and 5 lights in pegged frames. Small (partially blocked) entrance to cellar below. Doorway to loft (now a window) in upper gable. Rear outshut added in 1990 using local granite and Ffestiniog slate.

Interior

The house has a 3 unit plan, comprising two heated rooms either side of the axial stack, and an unheated room at the upper end. Entrance into the central room, against the substantial remains of a post-and panel partition dividing this room (presumably originally the hall) from a service room. Hall has chamfered longitudinal beam and stop-chamfered joists. Rough chamfer to bressumer of large fireplace. At the lower end of the house, the second heated room has similar detail, both to fireplace and ceiling, which has two lateral beams with harts-tongue stops. By contrast, the present kitchen (the former buttery) has a roughly worked beam. Layout at first floor altered, but exposed truss at upper end (above the partition) is of relatively late type; purlins of lower bay are roughly worked chestnut, contrasting with the adze-dressed oak in the upper and central bays.

Reason for designation

Listed as a sub-medieval house retaining traditional form and character, sympathetically restored. The centre of a good farmstead group.