History

There is part of a C14 doorway on the N side of house, but this bears no relation to the existing house which is predominantly C17, built in 2 main phases. The oldest part of the house, the 3-window range to W with rear staircase wing to N, was built in 1613; extended in 1644 by the addition of the eastern block, built by John Bold. An external fireplace and blocked 1st floor doorway at the W gable suggests that an extension was planned, but there is no evidence that it was ever built. The house was extended in the late C19 by an outshut in the NW angle.
The Bolds are an old Lancastrian family, of Bold Hall, which was possibly on the site of the present Bold Street in Liverpool. The branch of the family at Glyn was related to the Bolds at Tre'r Ddol, and also by marriage to the Meyrick family of Bodorgan. By the time of the Tithe Apportionment of 1841 the property was owned by OJAF Meyrick of Bodorgan, a large holding of over 97 acres(39.3 hectares), with Hugh Owen as tenant; by 1851 the farm was recorded at over 167 acres(67.6 hectares) and Hugh employed 7 labourers.

Exterior

Early-mid C17 farmhouse; 2-storey and attics. Built of mortared, roughly coursed rubble masonry; the S wall of the E part rendered. Slate roof, the front (S) pitch has some velux windows. Tall stone stacks with capping denote the extent of the original house; a twin shafted stack to E. The windows are hornless sashes and casements with slate sills, many have relieving arches.
The principal range faces S and opens out onto an enclosed garden, a 5-window range of varying sized windows; the doorway is offset to L (W) end, in the older part of the house while the openings at far E end are modern. At the W gable there is a ground floor fireplace and blocked first floor doorway; a later doorway has been cut to L(N) of the fireplace at ground floor. The N wall has 1st and ground floor window with relieving arches; a later C17 gable dormer in the roof above. The N wing has a blocked doorway in the W wall which has C14 jambs and part of a pointed arch; the N wall has ground and 1st floor windows. The later C17 E gable has windows to each floor with relieving arches; 1st and attic windows have been narrowed.
At the NW angle is the added late C19 outshut; the rear door is in the N wall, with a small window to L and larger timber casement to R. At the E gable there is a narrow doorway to L with cambered brick head; 1st floor window is a 4-pane sash and the ground floor has a small paned casement window to R of the door.

Interior

The interior has been partly replanned and modernised but retains many original features. The rooms of the older part of the house retain ovolo moulded cross beams. In the N wing the staircase has original square newels and is thought by RCAHMW to have been reconstructed in the late C18. The mid C17 E block has a room to each floor. The ground floor room has a contemporary cornice of moulded plaster reliefs of military trophies (cannon, ammunition, firearms, helms and gauntlets) interspersed with blank shields; these also adorn the soffit of the cross beam. Above the fireplace is a coloured plaster panel containing an achievement [Gules]a chevron between three helmets [Argent] (Tudor for Bold) impaling Hwfa ap Cynddelw, supported by 2 figures, flanked by curtains and columns. The first floor room has a moulded, plastered beam with drops on the soffit which are repeated on the moulded cornice. The plan of the cornice moulding indicates the former existence of a 5-sided vestibule in the corner of the room by the door. Above the fireplace is a coloured plaster panel in high relief of a biblical or mythological scene flanked by conventionalized palm trees. The fireplace has a slate surround etched with simple and bold floriate designs. The attics were not inspected at the time of the survey but are said, by RCAHM, to contain a corner fireplace with a moulded mantel ledge, above which is a plaster shield, Hwfa ap Cynddelw, suppported by two draped female figures; above which is the date and initials: 164(4) I. BOLD.

Reasons for Listing

Listed at Grade II* as a C17 gentry house which retains much of the original character and which contains a richly detailed interior including some exceptional plaster relief friezes and panels.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q17742073

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

• 
  Cornwall (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  A Buying and Owning a Listed Building: A Brief Guide
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability