Primary House at Rhos Fawr Isaf, Meifod, Powys

History

The primary house at Rhos Fawr Isaf survived as an agricultural range to a mid C19 brick farmhouse. Its origins, however, are as a late medieval hall house, much of which is encapsulated within the agricultural range. The building sequence appears to have begun as a probably open hall house of timber-framed construction and transitional plan form (in which a fire-hood represents an intermediate stage between hall with open hearth, and the enclosed fireplace typical of the storeyed house); this house comprised hall with cross passage at its lower end, from which a large (probably unheated) parlour opened; above the hall was a storeyed inner room. If the hall was originally open to the roof (as seems likely), it was ceiled over at an early stage. The parlour may also have been open to the roof - its present ceiling is modern, and there is scant evidence for earlier framing. At an early stage (though not from the outset - as weathering on the gable end indicates), a cow-house was added to the lower gable end, with a roof-line matched to that of the dwelling. There is evidence to suggest that this extension had a hipped roof. Later again (perhaps when the ceilings were inserted?), the height of the eaves was raised in house and cow house, and the roof pitch correspondingly altered, though the purlins were largely re-used. At some point also, the cow-house was extended by an additional bay on this secondary roof-line. The original dwelling has been dated by dendrochronology to 1577. The ceiling of the hall is likely to be later C16 or early C17, cow-house additions C17-early C18. Later changes were superficial: the reconstruction of the lower gable end and part of the walls in stone (perhaps when the building was relegated for use solely for agriculture), the subsequent reconstruction or patch repair of other areas of walling in first brick, then breeze block. The early origins of the building came to light in late 2004, as plans for its conversion were submitted.

Exterior

The external appearance of the building is solely as an agricultural range, though the distinctive down-hill siting, on a platform cut from a rocky spur, is suggestive of early domestic origins. A long storeyed range, its high lower section largely clad in roughly dressed rubble (with lean-to in similar stone-work), weatherboarding on framing over a high stone plinth to the central section of the west-facing elevation, where some exposed timber-framing is visible to the north, beyond a much later lean-to extension. Some weatherboarding on east elevation, and some breeze-block repair. NE section of walling is brickwork; upper gable is stone with brick dressings. Slate roof, projecting at the eaves, with distinctive large slates, especially on the E slope of the roof, where there are also a few courses of smaller slates at the eaves. Two wide cart entries (one partially infilled) in the upper NW section, and a series of doors associated with secondary use as a cow-house in the E elevation; loft windows (pegged 2-light frames with wrought iron bars) in upper NE elevation and upper gable where the windows flank a central loft door.

Interior

From the upper (N) end, the building comprises the 3 units of the original hall house - inner room, hall with cross passage and parlour; below the parlour the remnants of an early cow-house with its later extension. The hall is bisected by an inserted stone wall, underpinning one of its trusses and approximating to the line of the front of the firehood. The rear of the firehood survives as a cross-beam with the mortices for its framing; below it, lay the cross passage, divided from the parlour by a post-and-panel partition in which is a wide central doorway, with fine chamfered facetted pendant. Some original framing survives in the west wall of both hall and parlour. On the upper side of the stone wall that divides the original hall space, lies the main body of the hall; it is separated from the inner room by a post-and-panel partition, finely chamfered on the hall side. The positions of the two doorways set at each end can be identified in the framing. The probably secondary hall ceiling comprises paired spine beams with double-stepped (diagonal and curved) chamfer stops, and minimally chamfered joists. Inner room also has stop-chamfered spine beams, but the broad stop-chamfered joists suggest that it is rather earlier - probably primary. Both partitions have a rich collection of carpenters' marks; the main beams for the hall ceiling are also scribed with setting-out marks corresponding to the positions of mortices and chamfer stops. Below the parlour, the original gable end of the dwelling survives as weathered framing with angle braces on a stone plinth. Beyond it, are the remains of further wall framing, and stall-boards that mark the original limit of an early feeding walk. Beyond this, remnants of early framing survive in both long walls (including two posts that formerly supported the framing for the original hipped roof), and the extent of the first cow-house probably corresponds with the surviving timber-framed partition on a stone plinth; the truss above it replaced the former hipped roof; beyond this, the framing is of later type, and the lower gable wall is brick.

Upstairs, the roof structure of the late medieval house is revealed in its entirety: heavily smoke-blackened timbers mark the extent of the original hall, and the position of its firehood is indicated by a surviving section of its rear cross-beam. The trusses are all of tie-beam and collar type, with struts above the collar, and studs running from tie-beam to collar. The trusses between hall and inner room and hall and parlour are now open, but a series of stave holes indicates that they were originally closed; the central truss over the hall has been infilled in brick, but was probably also closed originally. Some wind-braces also survive in-situ over the hall, as does a length of the original ridge over the parlour. Lower purlins over hall and parlour are chamfered. Marking the probable extent of the first cow-house, the lower truss is of similar type, but differential weathering suggests that the truss was reconstructed above the tie-beam, probably when the lower bay was added.

In addition to the evidence of early domestic origin, the building also contains significant traces of its later use for agriculture; in the former hall and parlour, and in the lower bay, several of the timber cow-stalls with their mangers survive. Cobbled floor in the former inner room, associated with later use as cart-bay.

Reasons for Listing

Listed at grade II* as a remarkable survival of an early vernacular house. Buildings of its type - of open hall with fire-hood - are very rare. This example, notwithstanding external re-cladding, is exceptionally complete; the plan form is intact; the original roof structure with smoke-blackened timbers survives in its entirety, and much of the original internal carpentry remains in-situ and is of a high order. In addition, the building displays a particularly clear development sequence, in which the various stages of its transition from open hall to storeyed house, from detached dwelling to house with attached cow-house, and to its eventual use as an agricultural range can all be clearly traced.

External Links

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