Tyn Llan

Cadw's description

Location

On gentle hill slope down to river Dee, roughly equidistant between St Tysilio’s Church to the south (Listed Building 19688) and Llantysilio Hall to the west (Listed Building 1319). Immediately south of Llantysilio Lodge (listed building 1320) across small stream, on west side of the road from Horseshoe Falls to Llidiart Annie.

History

Described by local historian Gordon Sherratt as ‘an ancient and interesting property’, likely seventeenth century timber framed house with possibly two timber-framed phases and a third phase of stone extension to rear. Edward Lhuyd’s correspondence reports a small settlement of six or seven houses here in the late seventeenth century of which this is the sole survivor. Until the late 18th century the house stood on the east side of a common. By the time of the Tithe Survey in 1845 this had been enclosed and the house was within the grounds of Llantysilio Hall on the west side of the recently built road. The earlier phases of the house were at some point clad externally in brick with roughcast render but the timber frame was rediscovered in 1973 and Robert Heaton (OBE, FRIBA) called in to see it. Removal of some Victorian and twentieth century accretions followed and steel framed windows replaced with timber casements. The name is given as Pen-Llan Cottage on OS maps from the late nineteenth century until the 1960s but the house has been known as Tyn Llan (or Tyn-y-Llan) since at least 1973 as shown in Heaton’s correspondence.

Exterior

House of timber framing and rubble stone construction largely rendered in roughcast with steeply pitched slate roof of many gables. Two storeys except for south corner raised on basement where the ground slopes away. Front range’s roof ridge runs northeast to southwest with two open cross gables in the southeast facing front elevation, a blind open gable with chimney (and witch) at the northeast end and an open gable dormer facing southwest. At this lower southwest end the roof ridge is turned ninety degrees with a blind open gable to rear. Heaton suggested this south corner block with basement may be a survival of an older house. Behind the front range centrally placed extension runs to northwest with a right angle turn northeast with open gable, and small open gable dormer to southwest overlooking modern conservatory extension infilling the ‘L’ shape plan. Tall, rendered brick chimney stacks, one placed off centre on original wing and others at the northeast and northwest open gables. Modern timber casement windows are mostly small pane.
Front has small open gable dormer between the two open gables with nine light casement window, front door directly below. To left gable structural timber frame has been re-exposed with an irregular square grid below a triangle of closely spaced uprights, with a small square insert where an inscription may be hidden below white render. Twenty light small pane casement to ground floor. Right gable is roughcast rendered with matching ground floor window and twelve light casement to floor above. Small inset at east corner beside chimney stack.
Right side elevation facing northeast is another pair of steep open gables but with no gap between them. The left gable is blind with a decorative silhouette of witch on broomstick with cat (present since late twentieth century), right gable has twelve light casement to upper storey.
Rear elevation blind open gable with smaller chimney on left, monopitch slate roofed lean-to outhouse at base of this extended wing. To right set further back behind recent lean-to conservatory is open gable to rear of the half-timbered side on the front, this is roughcast with a cross-shaped iron tie plate near the apex.
Left (SW facing elevation) has lattice style modern dormer window with oak panelling above overlooking the modern cat slide glazed conservatory. Small modern rooflight in middle of SW facing roof slope. To right projecting forwards is the two and a half storey original block with gabled dormer with twelve light casement above a tall (4x5) twenty light ground floor casement, below this to left short flight of steps down to cellar door.

Interior

Early timber ceiling and wall frames visible throughout much of interior. Original forward block is basically ‘two up, two down’ with a modern hallway staircase to a rear central landing connecting upper storey rooms. Remains of an internal access staircase in north corner of cellar below the south corner rooms now sealed over in cupboard below the modern stair.
Study over this cellar has substantial timber ceiling beam, oriented axially (parallel to front of house) with structural timber frame partly exposed in southwest facing wall over window. Main beam is roughly chamfered, closely spaced joists with straight cut stopped chamfers. Deep set internal window opening set into stone rear wall (exposed rubble on the conservatory side) with part exposed timber lintel over, possibly replacing an earlier doorway. Modern fireplace set against inner wall.
Room above this study has modern fireplace set against same wall. Exposed substantial timber ceiling is elaborate with purlins crossing over gable openings on two sides, with a single large rough upright on the inner purlin connecting to the main roof ridge and two thinner upper rights on the opposite purlin across the window. Timber framework exposed in southeast front wall with closely spaced pegged uprights rising from the tie beam.
Returning to the ground floor, half timbering of an originally outer wall is exposed in later rear kitchen with a recessed gap beside the northeast chimney gable. The timber oven lintel on brick uprights in the kitchen is a late twentieth century addition.
East corner ground floor room has the corresponding half-timber grid against the rear kitchen with an original wattle and daub panel left exposed. Diagonally below and to the right of this is a double-square width section of rubble stone. Curved timber bressummer over inglenook against northeast chimney. Exposed timber ceiling with substantial transverse beam (running front to back of house unlike in the south corner study), chamfered with straight-cut stops on rear northwest end only. At top of inner southwest wall is a mortice and tenon joist with very large pegs, resting atop a brick infill where the door appears to have been relocated further back into the entrance hall.
East bedroom above has timber grid on three walls, the exception being the northeast side against the outer chimney breast. Diagonal Queen strut trusses visible to front and inner side with struts sloping inwards to meet at the centre of the tie-beams, purlin against rear wall has chamfer with triangle stops. In the loft space can be seen a perforated fragment of the original rear roof slope and remains of the central rubble stone chimney now rebuilt in brick.

Reason for designation

Listed Grade II for its special architectural and historic interest as a rare and picturesque house of complex phasing beginning in the seventeenth century or earlier, of unusual timber construction suggesting the renaissance concerns with picturesque elevations and maximising headroom internally. The glazed rear conservatory is not of special architectural or historic interest.