History

House of early C15 origin, largely rebuilt in C17 and altered in C19 and restored in 1986. Late medieval work includes the basement of the whole building, and the walls of the upper end, with medieval windows restored on the basis of evidence found. The original house was a hall to the left (SW) with a storeyed unit to the upper end (NE) all over basements, the storeyed part survives but the hall has gone, its site now occupied by a C19 - C20 range which was altered from parlour and byre with loft to full domestic use after 1986. The house was at the head of the Swansea Canal, extended from Ystradgynlais to Hen Neuadd in 1794. In poor repair in 1863, it was renovated for Morgan Morgan (d 1889) agent of the British Iron & Coal Co, who converted the basement to dairies, and added outbuildings. He also built cottages nearby at Trefleming and Tanyrallt. Morgan later moved to Craig-y-nos Castle, which he sold to Adelina Patti. The house was restored by the owners Mr & Mrs E. Hawkins from 1986 on the basis of evidence found in survey. The collapse of the upper part of the C17 main chimney during works brought to light broken fragments of late medieval windows.

Exterior

House, rubble stone with slate close-eaved roofs. The upper part (to the right) a small single-room plan, two-storey, 2-window range with steep roof and large battered end stacks in rubble stone with dripstones. SE front has C20 Gothic openings in brown sandstone with leaded lights, 2 square chamfered upper windows and trefoil-cusped single light to ground floor right. The pointed doorway to left up three stone steps may be medieval, altered. Grey limestone jambs and voussoirs in small stones. C20 plank door. Tops of 2 medieval basement lights visible.
Right end wall has one tiny loop. Rear NW has tiny chamfered white stone single lights, restored after 1985, one to first floor left and one to basement centre. Fine red stone Gothic cusped single light to centre left at mid height, restored, the head being ancient. Deep-set basement door to left with timber lintel. Ragged break in stonework to right shows that lower end is rebuilt above basement.
Lower range has lower ridge line with one ridge chimney, one-window range to right of chimney, 2-window range to left. All C20 4-pane sashes, but the openings to right are C19 with stone voussoirs, those to left C20 with concealed metal lintels. Reused stone sills. Small single storey left end C20 addition with window and door to front. Previously there was an outside stone stair to a loft door. Rear has high stepped basement wall, C20 4-pane sash with stone voussoirs each floor to left and section to right of chimney has similar 4-pane window to first floor and half-length window below, both in C20 openings. C20 first floor window in end wall.

Interior

The ground floor room of the main range has oak-beamed ceiling with square joists and 3 beams, the chamfered larger centre beam and upper end beam on stone corbels. Restored fireplaces on both end walls. Upper end has medieval style fireplace with big grey stone lintel on corbels and shallow sloping hood. Lower end C17 inserted chimney has fine chamfered and stopped oak lintel, re-used from farm in Cymmer Valley. Stone voussoirs to cambered rear arch to front door.
The 1985 report made when the interior was partly stripped out before restoration, records the following, some of which have since been covered up:
Lower end: The hall is lost apart from the main entrance doorway, the lower end having become a small parlour and byre with loft, and more recently all living accommodation. The basement of this part has 3 blocked windows in the front wall and a small niche to the rear. The windows were set high to avoid the high ground on this side and had steep sloping sills in the splayed reveals. Above the basement, in the front wall at ground floor was a single jamb of a window but most of the lower end walls are rebuilt possibly in C17 and raised in C19. All existing openings are C19 or C20.
Upper end: The basement has a medieval window in the front wall to the S of an opening that may earlier have been a small fireplace but later became some form of entrance with step leading up to the E. There is a timber lintel over the opening and some evidence of the jambs having been shallow but no sign of a flue here or above. In the rear wall there is a small window and doorway, possibly C17. Between the two parts is an inserted C17 cross wall that had a winding stone stair to all levels and a fireplace to the C17 hall. Only the basement part of the stair survives, but indications were found to trace the course upward.
Ground floor: In the C17 the NE room became the hall, entered by the medieval pointed doorway (reduced in size) and with the chimney in the wall to the left. A semi-lobby to the left of the fireplace led down into the lower end. The C17 fireplace timber lintel has been removed and the fireplace reduced. Timber C19 stairs replaced the stone stair, running up the NW wall. A medieval fireplace in the end gable was blocked, it had a stone hood on a stone lintel and corbel. In the rear wall is a tall window opening that may be medieval with relieving arch above present floor level. In front wall a C19 window has C17 S jamb, the opening having been reduced. Evidence in the sill indicates that there was once a door here, a recess remaining inside. The present hall ceiling is later C17 with chamfered beams with curved stepped stops and plain square joists carrying oak boards. The beam on the main fireplace wall is supported at the S end on a lintel over the doorway, inserted under the internal arch of the medieval doorway.
First floor: Above the present floor level both side walls have sockets for beams, widely-spaced to indicate just one bay of ceiling to right of the entrance. A later fireplace in the end wall is associated with the earlier floor level, having had the jambs extended down to the present level in the C17. Slit window to left. The fireplace utilised the flue of the medieval ground floor fireplace and has timber lintel on corbels and shallow hood. A chute found in the rear wall terminated at external basement level, in the rubble infill a late medieval spoon was found with other fragments. To the right of the chute recess there is evidence that a medieval window was extended down to form the present window which cuts the relieving arch of the ground floor window. The window head rises above the C17 wallplate. A small dressed Sutton stone window frame found in 4 pieces in the blocking of the fireplace could have come from either the ground or first floor rear openings. Chamfered with ogee head. Front wall has sign of an early window at the NE end, but both present windows are C20. Put-log holes in both SE and NE walls.
Attic: The attic was formerly open, now carried on beams bolted to the 2 C17 collar trusses. The SW truss is of reused timber, the principals being curved below the collar and partly chamfered, and the collar is cambered to give an arched form. The trusses are on an internal wall-plate that on the NW seems to be a reused purlin.

Reasons for Listing

Included as rare late medieval to C17 house, carefully restored.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29485800

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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