Minafon

Cadw's description

Location

At the west of Church Street, on a narrow site descending towards the river, with its gable end to the street.

History

Probably C17, but said to be one of the oldest houses of Llanrhaeadr. The core is a timber-framed house, to which a workshop has been added, planned end-on to the street in the late mediaeval manner. It is marked in the Tithe Survey (1839) as a house, yard, garden and stable owned by John Roberts of Bryn. The workshop served as a carpenter's shop in the C20.

Exterior

A 1½-storey partially timber-framed 3-unit house with an additional lofted stone-built unit at the lower end away from the street. Slate roof with tile ridges. The house faces north to its access passage and backs on to another passage, so it is detached from other houses in the street. The unit closest to the road is rendered; the other two units are timber framed to the front (north) but rendered to the rear; the additional unit is in rubble stonework with render at the rear. The timber framing is black and white and all other exterior walling is painted white.

The gable end to the street has a 16-pane mullion-window with iron glazing bars above and a 12-pane mullion and transom window beneath. Black-painted timber bargeboards.

The front (north) elevation has a 12-pane dormer window above a 12-pane mullion and transom ground-storey window and a door to the right in the rendered unit closest to the street. In the timber-framed part there is a similar dormer window and a C20 window below eaves, and three C20 windows and another boarded door below, with a small overlight. The stone-built workshop unit at the right has a long workshop window above and an arch headed small pane window beneath.

The lower end (west) elevation of the workshop unit has a boarded upper door between two brick-arched windows, one retaining its glazing bars, and a semi-glazed modern door below at right.

At rear (south) there are two lateral chimneys with bare brick stacks, a dormer window, and a small upper window in the additional end unit.

Interior

In the east room (to left) of the timber-framed part there is a hearth (served by the wider of the two lateral chimneys) with a very large timber bressummer and a large brick-lined bread oven.

Reason for designation

A cottage of minor vernacular character unusual for the survival of timber framing in an area in which stone walling predominates; group value as part of a group including Maesgwyn, Enson House, Hanmer House and Haulfre.