Barn at Pen-twyn

Cadw's description

Location

Located off the minor road from Aberllynfi Three Cocks to Tregoyd Mill, on the N side of the tributary of the Afon Llynfi which feeds Tregoyd Mill. The barn lies at the end of the farm access, on the E side of the front yard.

History

A barn, probably of the later C16, of cruck construction; enlarged at the uphill end in the C17 or C18, and further extended at right angles at the downhill end towards the farmhouse. A cartshed was added at the SW corner in the C19.

Exterior

Timber framed on high sandstone rubble walls, the framing weatherboarded. Slate removed and roof felted at the time of inspection, May 1995. The uphill enlargement is of a red sandstone rubble to full height. The junction with the earlier cruck building suggests that the barn had lost a bay at this end, implying that the added bay is a rebuild perhaps on a larger scale. The threshing bay has doors both sides, higher to the field side (E) where the doors are now missing. Square unglazed window at the N end. At the S end, external steps give access to a granary over the cartshed, which is of rubble with brick dressings.

Interior

The surviving early work contains 5 bays, with a central flagged threshing floor, and has five pairs of crucks rising directly from the ground, although some have been underpinned with stone and pegged back to an inserted timber sill. The blades are slightly cranked, approximately 55cm wide at the elbow, with 4 pegs to a trenched tie beam. The collar is morticed in and the ridge piece is notched into the morticed heads of the blades. The blades are trenched for 3 tiers of purlins, the lower now mounted on an outrider extending from the collar level to the wall top. The northern couple was formerly closed and the collar removed. The southern two pairs are rougher than the others and the S end couple is weatherboarded, with later rubble infilling below the tie. The central truss to the 2 rebuilt bays at the N end has a tie beam and queen struts.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as a good example of a cruck-built barn.