History

Late C17/early C18 substantial farmhouse altered and extended in second quarter and later C19. The primary house was a north-facing 2-and-a-half storey, 3-window house, to which a further bay was added to the W gable end shortly afterwards. The house was then re-orientated eastwards and an L-shaped E entrance range was added. Blaenau was the birthplace and home of Rice Jones (1713-1801), the poet and antiquary.

Exterior

Rubble construction, the C19 work of coursed blocks; slate roofs and plain stacks with weather-coursing. 3-bay E (entrance) front with 2 wide gabled bays flanking an entrance bay, that to the L advanced; simply-moulded bargeboards with expressed purlin ends to verges. Later C19 part-glazed door with wooden canted bay windows to the ground-floors of the flanking gabled bays; plain Victorian sash glazing and dentilated cornices. Earlier C19 12 and 16-pane recessed sash windows to the upper floors, the latter to the L bay. Slate-hung S side with lateral chimney (C19). Beyond, a storied, canted bay window with small-pane glazing. The N elevation has a large gable to the L, absorbing the 2 left-hand bays of the primary house. Entrance to bay 2 with 4-panelled door with square doorlights above. Flanking this, a 12-pane sash window to L and a 20-pane sash to R; two 8-pane sashes to the first floor with a further, blocked window to the L. To the R a vertical masonry break; the added bay beyond this is built into the hill; boarded door to L with small, 4-pane light to R. 2 gabled dormers to roof, one on either side of the break; 4-pane windows. Further plain C19 service wing to rear.

Interior

Entrance hall and stairwell with late C19 polychromed floor-tiles. 6-panelled doors with reeded late Regency architraves to main rooms; panelled reveals. Drawing room (to R) with early C18 raised and fielded dado panelling, large-field and now painted; associated panelled window seat. Tall Victorian stained glass window to stairwell; contempoarry oak staircase with turned, finialled newel posts, turned balusters and oak stairs. 2-panel C18 door to first floor passage. Stopped-chamfered mainbeams to early part on both floors and some contemporary random-width floorboards to the first. Pegged upper cruck truss with collar and tie-beam to N attic; beamed ceiling and 2-bay upper cruck roof as before to W bay at upper level; this with large blocked inglenook to gable end.

Reasons for Listing

An early vernacular house with C19 remodelling, retaining much internal and external character and historically the home of the poet Rice Jones.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29493752

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
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)