Penarth-fawr

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Penarth-fawr
Penarth Fawr, near Chwilog, Pwllheli - geograph.org.uk - 172951.jpg
"one of the most important medieval gentry houses to survive in Wales"
TypeHouse
LocationLlanystumdwy, Gwynedd, Wales
Coordinates52°54′48″N 4°21′08″W / 52.9132°N 4.3522°W / 52.9132; -4.3522Coordinates: 52°54′48″N 4°21′08″W / 52.9132°N 4.3522°W / 52.9132; -4.3522
Builtc.1476
Architectural style(s)Vernacular
Governing bodyCadw
Listed Building – Grade I
Official namePenarth-fawr
Designated19 October 1971
Reference no.4359
Official namePenarth Fawr Medieval Hall
Reference no.CN086
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameFormer Stable at Penarth-fawr
Designated31 March 1999
Reference no.21602
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameHouse at Penarth-fawr
Designated31 March 1999
Reference no.21594
Penarth-fawr is located in Gwynedd
Penarth-fawr
Location of Penarth-fawr in Gwynedd

Penarth-fawr, Llanystumdwy, Gwynedd, Wales is a medieval hall house dating from the mid 15th century. Described in the Gwynedd Pevsner as "an important medieval hall house", Penarth-fawr is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.

History and description[]

Internal roof timbers

Cadw records Penarth-fawr as being built for Madog ap Howel ap Madog. Tree-ring dating of timbers used in the house gives a build date of around 1476. [1] At the beginning of the 17th century, the house was extended and modernised. The former east wing, now a separate dwelling,[2] was probably added at this time. In the 1930s the house was again remodelled to restore its medieval appearance, before passing into the care of the state in 1949.[1] It is now administered by Cadw.[3] A study of the house, Penarth Fawr: a history of a medieval hall-house, was published in 2002.[4]

Penarth-fawr stands on a minor road off the A497 which runs from Pwllheli to Llanarmon. Cadw locates the house in the village of Llanystumdwy.[a][1] The house is constructed of rubble stone under a modern slate roof.[b] It was originally built to a hall house plan, with secondary rooms leading off the main hall, and separated by a cross-passage.[7] The hall contains the house's most unique feature, a 'spere-truss' supporting the roof. No other example exists in Carnarvonshire, and few outside of North Wales.[5] The house was enlarged with two wings in the Elizabethan era, but that to the south east was demolished around 1843.[5]

Pevsner describes Penarth-fawr as "an important medieval hall house".[5] It is both a Grade I listed building, and a Scheduled monument,[8] its listing record noting that it is "one of the most important medieval gentry houses to survive in Wales".[1] The stables,[9] and the former wing to Penarth have their own Grade II listings.[2]

Footnotes[]

  1. ^ Other sources differ as to the house's location. Pevsner lists it in the village of Llanarmon,[5] while Visit Snowdonia places it in the village of Chwilog.[6]
  2. ^ The Coflein entry for Penarth-fawr suggests that "the greater part of the original roof survives".[7]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d Cadw. "Penarth-fawr (Grade I) (4359)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b Cadw. "House at Penarth-fawr (Grade II) (21594)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Penarth Fawr Medieval House". cadw.gov.wales. Cadw. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  4. ^ Houghton, Keith E (July 31, 2002). Penarth Fawr: a history of a medieval hall-house. Gwasg Eifionydd Press. OCLC 51622389 – via Open WorldCat.
  5. ^ a b c d Haslam, Orbach & Voelcker 2009, p. 388.
  6. ^ "Penarth Fawr Medieval House". www.visitsnowdonia.info. Visit Snowdonia. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  7. ^ a b "Penarth Fawr; Pennarth Fawr; Pennardd Medieval Hall, Chwilog (16663)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  8. ^ Cadw. "Penarth Fawr Medieval Hall (CN086)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  9. ^ Cadw. "Former Stable at Penarth-fawr (Grade II) (21602)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 30 July 2020.

Sources[]

External links[]

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