History in Structure

Circular cow-house at Gwaunclawdd

A Grade II* Listed Building in Ystradgynlais, Powys

We don't have any photos of this building yet. Why don't you be the first to send us one?

Upload Photo »

Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

Coordinates

Latitude: 51.7963 / 51°47'46"N

Longitude: -3.7266 / 3°43'35"W

OS Eastings: 281025

OS Northings: 212257

OS Grid: SN810122

Mapcode National: GBR Y7.Y27T

Mapcode Global: VH5G3.C37T

Plus Code: 9C3RQ7WF+G8

Entry Name: Circular cow-house at Gwaunclawdd

Listing Date: 17 January 1963

Last Amended: 4 December 2001

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 6610

Building Class: Agriculture and Subsistence

ID on this website: 300006610

Location: About 1km W of Abercraf; to S of A 4067 and River Tawe. Towards end of group of buildings on E side of lane.

County: Powys

Town: Swansea

Community: Ystradgynlais

Community: Ystradgynlais

Locality: Gwaunclawdd

Traditional County: Brecknockshire

Tagged with: Building

Find accommodation in
Pen-rhôs

History

Circular cow-house, early C19, consisting of a 2-storey inner core for storing and preparing feed flanked by 2 curved lean-tos for stock almost surrounding the inner core except for opposed access passages that allowed hay to be loaded into loft of the core, whence it could be dropped into the base, to be distributed via 4 doorways each side to the feed-passages of the lean-tos. This building type was promoted in the United States and advocated in the agricultural press in Britain (cf Annals of Agriculture 1798 p 502), but very few were ever built, this apparently the only one in Wales.

Exterior

Cow-house, rubble stone with slate roofs, a two storey inner cylinder with conical roof and 2 lean-tos with sloping roofs, divided by opposed entrances to the inner cylinder. Conical roof has leaded ball finial. Entrance bays have a broad loft door with timber lintel and double boarded doors over narrower ground floor door with stone voussoirs. The encircling lean-tos have blank walls, the end walls splayed into the entrances to centre cylinder, the angles curved. Extensive areas of collapse.

Interior

Central section has cobbled ground floor and loft over. Four cambered-headed doors from centre to outer lean-tos, i.e a total of ten openings all around including the opposed doors. Lean-tos also had cobble floors with drainage channels. Conical roof has radial tie-beams to king-post with raking struts. Lean-tos have tie-beams and rafter roofs.

Reasons for Listing

Graded at II* as probably the only example of a circular cow-house in Wales, the design illustrating the contemporary interest in improving animal husbandry.

External Links

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

Other nearby listed buildings

  • II 12 Lamb & Flag Cottages
    Situated at S end of terraced row on S bank of Tawe, reached by temporary bridge from Rheolau Arms Inn.
  • II 10 Lamb & Flag Cottages
    Situated towards the lower end of terraced row at right angles to the Tawe, reached by a temporary bridge from the Rheolau Arms Inn.
  • II Outbuildings opposite Lamb & Flag Cottages
    Situated immediately S of the pound at Gwaunclawdd and across lane from Nos 2-12 (even) Lamb & Flag Cottages.
  • II The Pound
    Situated by the River Tawe at SW end of bridge to Lamb & Flag Cottages from Rheolau Arms Inn.
  • II Pont-y-Yard
    Situated some 100m S of the main road, across waste land, and just NW of Yard House.
  • II Yard House
    Located beside a lane leading across Yard Bridge on the south side of the A4067. The cottages are on a precipice over the River Tawe next to the bridge.
  • II Hen Noyadd
    Situated backing onto road SE of junction with Tanyrallt.
  • II Cae'r Lan Castle
    Situated some 250m WSW of Cae'r Llan, alongside bed of former Swansea Canal, and some 100m N of Castle Bridge, Cae'r Bont.

BritishListedBuildings.co.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact BritishListedBuildings.co.uk for any queries related to any individual listed building, planning permission related to listed buildings or the listing process itself.

British Listed Buildings is a Good Stuff website.