Gwerndyfnant

Cadw's description

Location

Isolated position 2.4 km N of Gladestry.

History

From 1817-1845 owned by Thomas Hutchinson (of Hindwell Farm and later Brinsop Court) brother-in-law to William Wordsworth, and often visited by the Wordsworths. Gothic style rooms at the south end were probably added by Hutchinson.

Exterior

T-plan of three distinct phases, C17, C18 and early C19. The crosswing is timber framed, covered in iron sheeting, and the earliest part; it probably represents the surviving parlour wing to an earlier hall house which was rebuilt in C18 in neatly coursed stone, incorporating stairs, hall, kitchen and dairy. The house is sited downslope, at the upper end is a rubble stone range of c.1830's consisting of service rooms below a large high-ceilinged room with separate outside entrance. The latter room was entered via a small weatherboarded block with elaborate Gothic detailing eg. pointed windows and stained glass. Both blocks have decorative pierced bargeboards and eavesboards and were said to have been used for country dance evenings. The main ranges have iron roofs, hipped to the left, C19 ranges have slate roofs. Three rubble stacks - ridge stack with moulded cap, projecting stack to corner of wing and projecting stack with brick upper to front of C19 range. Mostly modern fenestration in earlier openings, some with flat voussoir lintels, two leaded iron casements survive at the dairy end. Six-panel, raised and fielded door to rear, four-panel door to centre front with open timber porch.

Interior

The wing consists of two rooms with exposed good quality square-panel timber framing, substantial corner posts, chamfered ceiling rails, two blocked door frames and a blocked mullion window, two chamfered beams with square-cut stops and exposed joists. The C18 range has good moulded fire surround, panelled wall cupboard with H-hinges in former kitchen, dairy with original shutters, four-panel raised and fielded doors, simple stairs, plain squared newel, slender turned balusters. Flagstone floors. Two early C19 bedroom fire surrounds, one early C19 hob grate, one later C19 decorative grate.

Reason for designation

A multi-period vernacular farmhouse with historic interest and early C19 additions associated with William Wordsworth.