Combination Farm Building at Hadnock Court

Cadw's description

Location

On a lane leading north from May Hill along the east bank of the River Wye.

History

Probably built first in the early C17 and contemporary with the first farmhouse. The building was then lengthened at several periods up to the early/mid C19, the additions being contemporary with the various periods of change at the farmhouse, with much of the roof contemporary with the c1700 second build farmhouse.

Exterior

Built wholly of local sandstone rubble apart from C20 brick and concrete patching, Welsh slate roof with ridge tiles at the older end nearer the house and corrugated asbestos sheeting at the far end, only the centre part of the rear roof is slate. Long two storey single depth range set into the rising ground. The main elevation has five windows, three doors and three external stone stairs on the ground floor, arranged from the left, W : D : W : D : S : W : W : S : W : D : S. The upper floor has twelve windows of various types, ages and sizes, and three doors, all plain plank; W : W : W : W : D : W : W : D : W : W : W : W : D : W : W. Most of the window joinery is C20. The first door on the ground floor is an early C19 double coach-house door with an elliptical head. The second door was another but is now a C20 widened opening with part of the elliptical head surviving. The right return (older end) has a hipped gable with a modern garage opening on the ground floor and some timber framing above. The left return is a plain gable.
The rear elevation shows older and more varied stonework showing that the lower part of the building was reconstructed in the early C19 and not built from scratch. The lower floor of the upper part was accessed from this side as cow houses, it can be seen to have been heightened. Door, three slit vents, door, small projection, ten plain windows on the upper floor.

Interior

The ground floor is very altered with the heavy beamed ceiling of the cow house as the only historic feature. The roof is in three sections as the range was extended and changed in use. First is a C17 roof with 4-bays of queen strut trusses with the collars supported by raking struts (almost upper crucks) from the middle of the walls possibly suggesting that the roof was lifted. The principal timbers, the purlins and some of the rafters are original. The second section of roof is a plain 6-bay queen strut with two tiers of staggered purlins. This section, together with the raising of the first section are probably c1700. The third section over the coach-house is 5-bays of much lighter softwood construction with sawn and bolted members.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as a combination farm building built over a long period and retaining good features and character and as part of an historic manor house group in the Monmouth environs.