Little Malt House

Cadw's description

Location

U-shaped group of building, set back from north side of Standard Street.

History

One of a group of three houses which together once formed a mansion known as Rumsey Place. This appears to have originated in the mid-C16 as a storeyed hall house, remodelled and extended in the C17 to form a substantial house with main range and two wings enclosing a small courtyard. The Rumsey family established a maltings and brewery in the western part of the site, probably in the late C17 or early C18, presumably as part of a substantial farmstead. The family still owned the complex of buildings in the nineteenth century, but by the time of the Tithe Survey of 1844, the property had been split into two, with the malthouse and associated dwelling to the west, and a farmstead (Upper House) to the east. The granary and farm buildings continued the enclosure of the courtyard in front of the domestic range. These buildings were divided from 1920, with the C16 kitchen and the right-hand wing forming Upper House; and by WWII the parlour and hall of the C16 house and the left hand wing had become the Malt House; and the cross passage and service room being part of Little Malt House.

Exterior

Little Malt House forms the central section of the former mansion, occupying the central and right-hand bay of the 3-window main range, which is 2 storeyed with attic. Rubble walls, colour-washed to main front, with steep pitched slate roofs, with axial stacks to centre and right. Central entrance flanked by small-paned sash windows, with similar windows to first floor, and two dormer windows in gables with decorative bargeboards. Left hand bay is part of The Malt House.

Interior

Interior much rebuilt after fire damage but retains roof and other structural timbers which probably belong to the original C16 house. At ground floor level there is a remnant of a Georgian wattle partition and attached to this there is a surviving fragment of wooden screen. Slots in the beam above reveal that at one time this extended across the width of the ground floor and that its origin would have been as part of a wooden screen to the cross passage. On the ground floor there is also a broad segmental arch with capitals towards the rear of the cross passage.

Reason for designation

Included for its special architectural and historic interest as part of a mansion retaining good evidence of C16 and C17 origins. Group Value with the rest of the complex – The Malt House, Upper House, and the former granary.