Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Bullhouse (Old Chapel) at West Aberthaw Farm
St. Athan, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II
- Broad class
- Religious, Ritual and Funerary
- Date of designation
- 3 September 2004
- Locality
- West Aberthaw
- Town
- Barry
- Community
- St. Athan
- Unitary authority
- Vale of Glamorgan
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 51.39212, -3.40529
- Cadw reference
- 83112
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
A part of the farmyard group about 50m west of West Aberthaw Farmhouse.
History
This building is said to have been a chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas but there is no real visual evidence to support this, unless the base of the walls, where they are thicker and battered, indicates some medieval fabric. It does, however, appear to have been converted in the C19 into a bullhouse from an earlier building of a possibly ecclesiastical character. It seems to be shown on the Tithe Map of 1839.
Exterior
The building is constructed of roughly coursed local lias limestone rubble with dressed quoins, Welsh slate roof. It is a single cell building on two storeys with a gabled roof. The entrance is in the east gable and has a quoined doorway under a flat stone lintel. Above this is evidence of a blocked window with segmental head and above that signs that the gable has been raised. The south wall has indications of two blocked windws over a C19 doorway. The wallhead has been raised, as has that on the north wall where it accommodates a plain door to the hayloft. West gable end not seen.
Interior
The interior, which shows the thicker base walling, is divided into two pens and retains its wooden hayrack. Queen strut roof trusses with iron reinforcement on the struts.
Reason for designation
Included for its special interest as a part of a very complete C19 Vale farmstead group.
Nearby in the register
- Cart Shed at West Aberthaw FarmAgriculture and Subsistenceunder 1 mi
- Barn at West Aberthaw FarmAgriculture and Subsistenceunder 1 mi
- Heavy Horse Stable at West Aberthaw FarmAgriculture and Subsistenceunder 1 mi
- Garden Wall of West Aberthaw FarmhouseDomesticunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.