Gwaun-y-bara

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 1.7km NNE of Rudry church, reached by private road on E side of a minor road between Rudry and Bedwas.

History

Erected probably by Roger Williams, one of the partners in Caerphilly blast furnace, c1690. It consisted of a hall with lateral fireplace flanked by a parlour and kitchen, and with a stair in a projection at the rear. After 1707 it became 2 dwellings, and has remained so. The cottage is on the left side. At the time of inspection the right side was vacant but was formerly used as a workshop by the local Mountain Ranger Centre. Following a fire in 2007 the Cottage was largely rebuilt but retains its earlier appearance and layout.

Exterior

Two-storey house of 5 unequal bays (the 3 central bays being the hall, the outer bays the parlour and kitchen), with integral outshuts and gabled projection to the rear. Roughcast walls painted white. Slate roof with brick stack to R, external stack to L and big stepped stack offset to R side behind. The doorway is centrally placed inside a porch with a hipped stone-tile roof (lost during the fire), and has a segmental head and a half-lit boarded door. The windows to the Mountain Ranger Centre (to the right) are late C19 sashes in original openings and have contemporary brick sills. The R gable end has a small stair light to L and an inserted boarded door to R. The rear is dominated by the full-height gabled stair projection, which has late C19 3-light casements, to L of which is the large stack to the hall fireplace. The Cottage (to left) has been almost entirely rebuilt 2008-09 retaining the appearance and layout of the earlier building.

Interior

Interior of cottage entirely rebuilt following fire, c2008-9. Interior of Mountain Ranger Centre retains a stone fireplace stair to the right of the gable fireplace with a recess at mid height.

Reason for designation

Listed grade II, notwithstanding the reconstruction of Gwaun-y-bara Cottage, for special architectural interest as retaining integrity as a good example for this area of the development of the symmetrical front and centralised planning in domestic architecture in the late seventeenth century.