Great Cantal Farmhouse, including attached barn

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 4.5km E of Llanbister, reached by farm road S of the B4356.

History

A late medieval cruck-framed hall house converted to a storeyed house in the C17, enlarged in the C18, probably when timber-framed walls were largely reconstructed in stone, and refenestrated and further extended in the C19. The attached barn is C18.

Exterior

A 2-storey farmhouse of whitened rubble stone and brick to the R side, slate roof with rear skylights, gable stack to the R, the upper part rebuilt in brick, and brick stack L of centre. Its front has a doorway R of centre and 3 windows, with a further doorway and window to the L, where the roof is lower, representing the height of the original house and retaining timber-framing in the rear elevation. Windows are 2-light and 3-light wood-framed casements in C19 openings, have brick segmental heads in the lower storey and are beneath the eaves in the upper storey. Both doorways have boarded doors. The rear has an outshut to the L side, and a 2-light casement window to its R. Further R, where the roof line is lower and the wall part timber-framed, are 2-light casements in each storey.

The barn is timber-framed, clad in weatherboarding and corrugated iron, with hipped slate roof the same height as the older part of the house. It has boarded doors to the threshing bay offset to the R, and a boarded door to the L. The loft has 2 windows. In the end wall are double boarded doors, probably inserted when the barn was partly converted to a cart shed, and loft window. An outshut has been added to the rear.

The area in front of the barn is laid with cobbles.

Interior

Not inspected in 2004, but inspection in 1991 recorded: The main entrance to the farmhouse opens to an unusually broad passage with timber stairs to the rear, which may have originally been a room beyond the hall. A further, and earlier, entrance exists to the L, backing on to the massive stone chimney stack which was built to fit within the pre-existing cruck-framing. Boarded doors and stop-chamfered axial beams throughout, some possibly reused; stone-flagged floors and half-timbered and lath and plaster. The hall has a large fireplace with timber bressumer and bake-oven, and a ceiling with stop-chamfered beams inserted in the C17 remodelling. To the L is a narrow unit behind the chimney with timber-framed wall separating it from the barn; ogee-stopped beams. The door to the rear of the central passage led into a lean-to service unit which continues behind the parlour and has a reused C18 connecting doorway. Upstairs, one massive cruck blade is retained; the existing, box-frame, roof-structure dates from the C18 with collar and tie-beam trusses; purlins removed. On the landing is a C17 balustrade with turned balusters.

The barn has 3-unequal bays with open trusses flanking the central bay; some of the principal rafters are reused cruck blades; two pairs of purlins. Stone-flagged threshing floor retaining fence to right.

Reason for designation

Listed as a multi-period farmhouse retaining vernacular character, notable for its good interior detail.