Cheesehouse at Gileston Manor

Cadw's description

Location

About 20m north of the Church of St Giles.

History

Probably late C18 cheesehouse with the corndrying kiln inserted in the mid C19 when the bakehouse/laundry was also added. The building has not been altered since.

Exterior

Built with base battered walls of random local lias limestone rubble with Welsh slate roofs. Rectangular one-and-a-half storey building with a single storey addition on the east gable. Central plank door flanked by 5 x 3 small paned windows with voussoir heads. Attic has two gabled wall dormers with 3 + 3 vertical strip casements. Kiln stack to right gable, coped gables. To the right a small addition separated by a straight joint, perhaps either a bakehouse or a laundry. This is built of squared stones, some re-used C16 ones, and has a doorway under a segmental head which appears to re-use chamfered C16 door jambs, perhaps from the main house. Small 3 + 3 pane casement to right. Low pitch roof with chimney on gable. The gable and rear elevations are blind, but there is a blocked window in the east gable.

Interior

The ground floor of the main build retains the two cheese presses and associated equipment on the left and the stone built corn drying kiln on the right, while the upper floor has the cheese maturing racks now used for apple storage. The ground floor is ceiled in four bays with chamfered main beams. Principal rafter roof with butt purlins and ridgepiece. There is a cellar with a segmental vaulted roof and a central drainage channel. The attached bakehouse or laundry was not seen at resurvey.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as part of a fine estate group at Gileston Manor.