Esgair Llewelyn

Cadw's description

Location

Located in an upland position in a clearing in the Dyfi Forest and reached by lanes and tracks running N from the B4404 at Mathafarn.

History

Originally a cruck-framed hall-house open to the roof, probably late medieval. The house was extended to the W later, probably in the late C16. Possibly at the same time, the walls of the original hall-house were rebuilt in stone and a chimney stack inserted, forming a lobby entrance arrangement, although the entrance and stack are not quite aligned. The ceiling was probably added at this time. A stack to the W end may be C17-18. The house is now disused and was in poor condition at the time of inspection.

Exterior

Long single-storey range of shaley rubble stone on a boulder plinth, under a graded slate roof; 2 stone stacks with capstones and weather-coursing, tall stack offset slightly to R, second shorter stack to L end. The entrance has a boarded door under an old timber lintel; 2 wooden casement windows to its R, that to far end with small-panes. Towards the L end is a larger window opening, now unglazed. The wall is partly rebuilt between this window and the entrance, with a butt joint on its R side. Small sky-lights to roof pitch. A later raked stone buttress supports the E gable end. Small opening offset to R of W gable end. The rear elevation is built into the bank and only the upper part is extant. Part of a cruck blade is exposed to the L of the ridge stack. Between the stacks are 4 small openings with early wooden frames, said to have mortises for square timber mullions.

Interior

No access to interior at time of inspection (2003). In 1992 the entrance led into a lobby in front of the fireplace with a straight wooden stair against its L side. To the R was the former hall, with flagstone floor. The large stone fireplace had a substantial deeply chamfered timber lintel and contained a small brick grate, with bakeoven to the R and the base for a copper tub to the L. A cruck-truss adjacent to the fireplace contained the doorway, its head carved into the soffit of the tie beam, the S blade visible inside, the N blade visible outside. The cruck-truss to the E divided the hall from a former inner room; it had a chamfered smoke-blackened tie-beam, attached to which was a partition of in-and-out construction. The inner room had a winding stair in the corner and a ceiling with half-beams and sawn joists. To the W of the entrance most of the partitions had been removed; the first retained one post, possibly the remains of a post-and-panel partition. The ceiling had deeply chamfered beams with broach stops, and chamfered joists with run-out stops. Further W was a pantry or dairy, divided axially from a passage. The W end fireplace was partly blocked and had a large stop-chamfered timber lintel.

The attic storey was divided in 2 at the position of the central stack, each part reached by its own staircase. The cruck-truss dividing the E section had a lapped collar and 2 rows of purlins; some of the original rafters remained, all smoke-blackened. The truss near the fireplace was similar. The W section had 2 tie-beam trusses with collars, and vertical posts defining doorways; cruck truss to W end. The house retained fixed furniture, including at least 3 cupboard beds.

Reason for designation

Listed grade II* as an exceptional survival of a late medieval hall-house, with well preserved detail from the C15-17.