Rhyd-fudr

Cadw's description

Location

The house is 1km approx SE of the B4403 between Llangywer and Llanuwchllyn, some 3km SW of Llangywer.

History

Rhyd fudr is a small upland farmstead, set high up on the margins of enclosed cultivated land, close to the open grazing on the slopes of Lledwyn Mawr. The house is dated on an internal beam, 1725. It retains much of the form of an early C18 house, built within a sub-medieval tradition, with some modification, including the addition of a rear wing, and the (perhaps contemporary) re-working of façade detail in the later C19, still within a vernacular tradition. Formerly part of the extensive holdings of the Watkin Williams-Wynn estate, the house is no longer a working farm-house, and is separate from the adjacent farmyard, where one early building survives.

Exterior

The house is aligned at right-angles to the slope, and has a small lofted cow-house in-line (but a later addition) on its uphill side). One and a half storeyed, 2-unit dwelling with rear lean-to and wing, to which black corrugated iron clad extensions were added, probably in the early C20. Local boulder and roughly dressed rubble construction, including a significant admixture of quartz, in the cow-house particularly. Whitewashed to front elevation only. End wall stacks in squared stone with drip stones and moulded caps. Some corrugated iron cladding on weather facing side elevations. Slate roofs and verges. Main elevation has doorway offset to left (with plank door) and flanking 2-light casements with blue-brick sills and cambered brick heads. Similar windows in gabled dormers above; slate-hung cheeks to dormers. Additional window inserted at far left of domestic range, in front of main stack. Cowhouse has single doorway to front, and loft door up steps in gable end. Rear wing has modern 2-light casement to ground floor, with gabled dormer above. It is extended by a black-corrugated iron clad range with half-hipped roof adjoining wing, wrapping round in parallel to house; it appears that this range formerly housed a small generator, driven by a pelton wheel which still survives beneath. Further corrugated iron lean-to extension on lower gable of house.

Interior

The house retains what is probably the original layout with only minor alteration; essentially, it comprises a main hall with 2 smaller rooms at the lower or outer end, one of which is heated. In the hall, there is a very roughly shaped main lateral beam with similarly rough joists, and roughly chamfered straight lintel to large fireplace. The stairs rise opposite the front door in a small lobby, which together with the staircase, appears to be later C19. Upstairs, in the principal room part of the main truss is exposed: rough principal rafters (a former collar now missing) and purlins lying on the back of the truss. Within the partition at the head of the stairs an exposed length of timber (possibly a collar) carries the date 1725 with the letters W.G.

Reason for designation

Listed as a characteristic upland farmhouse retaining good vernacular character, in the sub-medieval tradition of planning and construction typical of rural Meirionydd.