History

Farmhouse, said to date from c1690, but the present house probably of the later C18. Richard Fenton wrote in 1810: 'There is a dwelling-house on it, built after a whimsical manner by a gentleman, a former tenant, with suitable farm offices'. The island has been part of the Dale Castle estate since the C18 or earlier. From 1927 it was tenanted by the naturalist and author R.M. Lockley, and since the 1940s has been managed by the Wildlife Trust West Wales. The farmhouse is used as common-room and visitor accommodation. The unusual shape with roof swept down each side over outshuts is echoed on a larger scale at the former Rectory in St Brides.

Exterior

Farmhouse, whitewashed rubble stone with whitewashed grouted roof (renewed with imitation slates) and one large rendered stack on N roof slope said to be of brick. One and a half storeys, unusual plan with single centre room with loft over and long roof outshuts each side to provide ground floor service rooms. Gables are raised and cemented. E gable end has loft window, 4-pane, ground floor centre casement pair and outshut end windows, a single casement left, a pair right. N side has one outshut window to right, S side one similar to left. W end has one window to left. Central original gabled porch, built out further with N door and small window to right, to link with low single storey outbuilding across W end. Another addition, possibly earlier C20 with parallel gabled roof is along rear of porch range, asbestos slate roof, large C20 windows to S and W end.

Interior

Single centre room with N fireplace and 2 doors off each side into outshuts, now bedrooms. One C18 2-panel fielded-panelled door to N wall right. Rough boarded floor, some oak. Bead-mould to joists. Rough loft stairs. Loft has renewed collar-trusses to roof. Original porch, now internal has seats each side and W doorway, timber lintel, ledged main door.

Reasons for Listing

A small farmhouse of picturesque and unusual form, probably C18, in superb setting.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29496583

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Historic Environment Law: Planning, Listed Buildings, Monuments, Conservation Areas and Objects by Harwood, Richard (2012) Paperback
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  Gwent/Monmouthshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Wales)
• 
  Hampshire: South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]