Barn and cow house at Middle Nantserth

Cadw's description

Location

Middle Nantserth Farm is 2 km N of Rhayader, on the W side of a minor road. The barn and cow house is on the W side of the farmyard.

History

Dated 1728 on a former lintel to the barn doorway, which was inscribed '1728 EE EB'. The cruck trusses, however, are said to have been re-used from an earlier building and were re-set on a stone plinth in order to increase the capacity of the barn. The cow house was extended in the C19, when a shed, root house and calf cot were added.

Exterior

A barn with higher cow house in line on the E side. The barn is timber-framed on a rubble-stone plinth, the cow house is rubble stone, both under corrugated iron roofs. On the S side, formerly facing the yard but subsequently enclosed in a larger stock shed, the timber framing of the barn is exposed and there is a single wide doorway. A rubble-stone shed has been added against the L gable end. At the R end of the barn is a boarded door to the byng, set back from the line of the cow house, which has 2 lintelled doorways and a loft opening. A vertical joint shows that the cow house was extended on the E side in the later C19 and has brick quoins. The E gable end, facing the yard, has a split boarded door in a brick surround, and weatherboarded gable with split boarded loft door. An outshut on the R side, formerly a root store, has a door with brick jambs. Behind it is an outshut formerly housing calves. The rear of the barn is corrugated iron.

Interior

The 4-bay barn retains 3 unevenly spaced cruck trusses. The outer cruck trusses appear to have been framed and infilled, suggesting that they once constituted a 2-bay barn.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special historic interest as a well-preserved early C18 farm building with earlier origins.