History

Late Medieval hall house, probably the former abbot's lodgings to Cymer Abbey, part of whose W range the building formed. The hall, open until c1900 is 7m wide and as such is the widest known example in Meirionnydd. It is of 4 bays with arched-braced collar trusses and gable trusses and is of evident quality; it is likely to be late C15 rather than early C16, and the existence of a pointed-arched entrance in the lower W wall suggests the possibility of an earlier core. The house appears to have been of the ~end passage' type with the entry to the S and the dais end to the N. The original parlour cross-wing at this N end has long since disappeared. Adjoining the hall range to the W is a further cross-wing with a probably mid- C16 2-bay solar roof and a parlour (later kitchen) beneath, representing a post-Dissolution remodelling of an earlier range. Further cosmetic alterations of the late C17. The house, long used as a barn was re-occupied by the present owner's grandfather c1900 when the hall was floored over.

Exterior

T-plan, of one-and-a-half storeys. Rubble construction with new slate roof; rendered and heavily battered W gable. Central, tiered stack to W wing with plain end stacks to the W and S gables. The main (E) front faces the abbey church and has a large entrance at L with a modern open, slate-roofed porch. Wide, ribbed and panelled late C17 door in earlier, probably mid-C16 broach-stopped, pegged doorcase; 2 plain, square lights above. To the R, 2 late C17 leaded wooden cross-windows with ovolo-moulded transomes and frames; modern buttress between the two with a further buttress to far R. Above, two plain-gabled rubble dormers with out-of-character 2-light modern windows and modern bargeboards. The S side has an entrance to the recessed parlour wing with modern half-open porch; flanking modern 12-pane recessed sash windows. Further modern windows to the advanced hall (S) gable, with pointed relieving arches and rubble voussoirs. The Nside has a blocked primary entrance to the L of the hall gable with modern windows to ground and first floors. Two 12-pane sashes as before to the recessed right-hand section with a further plain modern window to the L and a modern catslide dormer above; further modern windows to the W gable.

Interior

The hall has a partition where the former passage screen stood; an ex-situ C17 external studded door has been built into a section of post-and-panel screen in the W wall. Plain c1900 stair with a balustraded upper flight and landing re-using 8 late C17 turned balusters from the former hall stair. 5 arched-braced collar trusses to the hall roof (including end trusses) with 2 tiers of cusped windbraces. The central truss has a roll flanked by 2 hollow mouldings and has cusped, trefoil decoration; the remaining trusses have quarter-round mouldings. 2-bay arched-braced collar truss roof to later upper solar with trenched purlins and windbraces; cusped apex to truss. Stopped-chamfered ceiling to former parlour (now kitchen) belowwith large fireplace, its bressummer obscured.

Reasons for Listing

Included at Grade II* as a highly important late Medieval hall associated with Cymer Abbey.

Group value with the other listed items at Cymer Abbey.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17738007

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, Supplement 2014
• 
  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
• 
  The Listed Buildings and Other Principal Structures at the Royal Gunpowder Mills Waltham Abbey
• 
  Old House Handbook 2 Books Bundle Collection (Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair,Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)