Cowhouse Range to S. of Rhandregynwen

Cadw's description

Location

Runs back from road to the south of the modern farmhouse.

Exterior

Late C15 former hall house, now cowhouse, with the external walls entirely rebuilt in brick and weatherboarding, tin roof.

Interior

Cruck framed, three-unit plan with two-bay hall. Four trusses survive, the lower end-truss had gone, the wall plates survive in the main and exposed mortices on the undersides show the positions of the studs in the former timber-framed walls. All the cruck trusses have one piece, full height blades, morticed and tenoned together, the purlins are diagonally set, the ridge is diagonally set into a notch cut into the apex, windbraces were morticed into the hall and upper-room purlins. There is smoke blackening throughout.

The upper room end truss has been cut off above the collar; about lm in front is a louvre truss set on the upper purlins. The upper room, or dais end, partition is box-framed with two diagonal braces above tie beam. The central hall truss has chamfered blades and arch-braces; one of two diagonal braces survives above the collar and a small yoke is set below the apex. A tie beam has been inserted into this truss at a later date and subsequently removed. The passage partition truss retains its upper collar and mortices for two lower ties and for panel infill are visible.

Reason for designation

This farm building is a rare survival of a late medieval cruck-framed hall house which, although encased in later walling, has never been radically altered. It has not been subject to any of the normal domestic improvements over the centuries such as ceilings for upper chambers and fireplaces were never inserted, nor has it been plastered or limewashed internally.