Barn at Rhyd y Carw

Cadw's description

Location

Located 100m E of the farmhouse.

History

Originally a medieval hall-house dendro-chronologically dated to c1525, of cruck-framed construction with box-panelled walls. It had a 2-bay hall flanked by inner and outer rooms, the inner room at the dais end larger than the outer room, a relatively unusual plan. The house was converted to a barn, probably when the new house was built nearby in the mid-late C17, and the end walls were rebuilt.

Exterior

Single-storey range on a high stone plinth, the N wall and E gable end weather-boarded, the S wall and W gable end clad in corrugated iron, obscuring the original box panelling. Corrugated iron sheeting to roof. The external openings relate to the agricultural use of the building; the N side has a central doorway to threshing floor containing a single boarded door reached by stone steps. To the S side is a boarded hatch, which may have ventilated the threshing floor, and a wide cart-bay opening to L with door of corrugated iron sheeting; narrow door and loft hatch to E gable end.

Interior

The 3 internal cruck-trusses, which framed the hall, are well preserved. The central truss is arched-braced with nail-head decoration to the soffit; the outer trusses have collars. To the E, dais end, a tie-beam has slots for a former post-and-panel partition with a single doorway. The parlour was behind it, the smaller service rooms to the W end behind the passage partition which is now lost. Other features in the building relate to the agricultural phase; boarded partitions partly survive, along with the threshing bay with raised oak floor; mangers to W bay.

Reason for designation

Listed as a rare survival of a medieval hall-house with an unusual plan, which retains fine cruck trusses, one decorated. It was later converted to a barn, when some of the internal detail was lost. Group value with Rhyd y Carw farmhouse and the multi-purpose farm building.