Bryn or Penlan flats

Cadw's description

Location

In an elevated position, set back from the E side of Bull Street in the village of Maentwrog; to ESE of the Church of St. Twrog. Bryn is located to S of Penlan.

History

Probably mid C19, probably contemporary with, or built shortly after, the adjacent house at Penlan. Not marked on the tithe map of the parish, 1840, but built on part of Tir y Llan, owned by Louisa J Oakeley of Plas Tan-y-bwlch and occupied by Cadwaladr Evans. Although the house is not shown on the tithe map the steps leading up to the house are indicated which suggests that the house was either under construction, or planned at the time of the survey.
Offered up for sale in the auction of the Plas Tan-y-bwlch estate, 1910, in Lot 12 'The Picturesque Rural Village of Maentwrog'. The property was described as Penlan - a four-storeyed house, let in floors, occupied by sundry tenants, for an annual rent of £10-0s-0d (£10.00).

Exterior

Tall, 4-storey, 3-window building, in the Georgian tradition characteristic of the first phases of improvement on the estate; former servant's quarters and now flats. Built of mortared rubble masonry with large stones as quoins and lintels. Broad rectangular stone stacks with dripstones and capping.
The principal elevation faces the road to W; a 3-window range with widely spaced openings; windows are horned sashes with slate sills, the lower storeys are 16-pane and the top floor has small 8-pane lights set under the eaves.. At the N end of the range there is an acutely angled NW corner and the N gable has moulded labels in position for each window to the top 3 storeys, though no windows appear to have ever been inserted. Entry to the flats is via doorways along the rear (E) wall, and there is a mix of sash and casement windows along with a tall fixed light of 24-panes (presumably lighting the stairs) at the far R (N) end; top floor openings have moulded labels.
At the opposite (S) gable there are dripstones over the roof of the adjacent cottage range. The cottage is a 2-storey, 5-window range with the doorway offset to far L (N) in a gabled porch. The walls and the single rectangular ridge stack are grit rendered; the slate roof has a tiled ridge. Windows along the range are modern timber casements, small windows to rear.

Interior

The interior was not inspected at the time of the survey (June/July 2003).

Reason for designation

Listed as a good C19 building that was purpose built to accommodate several tenants or servants for the adjacent properties in the adjacent houses. Forms an integral component of the group of houses set above Bull Street and a group with the other buildings in the centre of the estate village of Maentwrog.