Agricultural Complex at Rhyd-y-Cilgwyn

Agricultural complex of irregular plan at Rhyd-y-Cilgwyn, consisting of two box-framed barns linked by later ranges, with slate roofs and rooflights.

The primary section is a 4-bay barn at the southern end. It has timber-framed sides with an open front (E) gable. A high limestone rubble plinth with 20th-century brick raising to the north side supports the frame, which is mostly clad with old horizontal weatherboarding. Three panels retain their original split and woven oak laths, an unusual survival for the Vale of Clwyd, though such infilling is still found in the marches.

Adjoining the barn's east gable end is a short 19th-century pitched addition of limestone rubble with a corrugated iron roof. This has disturbed openings to the east, one with a segmental head. Next to this are three low connected ranges enclosing a small yard to the north of the barn and partly open to the west.

The long east range adjoining the barn is a single-storey byre from the second quarter of the 19th century, built of whitened rubble with four plain skylights on its yard-facing roof pitch. It has four openings, all originally entrances; the outer ones have segmental heads. The two on the left have been reduced to plain unglazed window openings, and the one on the far right is blocked. The northern section, adjoining at right-angles, is contemporary but incorporates two bays of a circa 1700 rubble barn at its west end, with an economically-slated (tor brat) roof. The south (yard-facing) side has a central open entrance with long early 20th-century small-pane sliding sashes; the one on the left is blocked. A wide opening to the west shows an expressed tie-beam and queen-strut truss to the upper gable, with vertical vent slatting to its central section. To the left of this is a small boarded opening. Adjoining flush to the right is a short carthouse projection placed at right-angles, thereby enclosing the yard to the west. This has an open entrance to its inner face and a segmentally-headed boarded window to its left, with an economically-slated roof hipped to the south. A wide cart entrance with segmental arch opens to the south.

At the eastern end of this range is a later 19th-century one-and-a-half storey block extruded between it and the byre range. Its east gable end is slightly advanced. It has a segmentally-arched opening to the ground floor with dressed voussoirs; a loading bay above with boarded door and winch. The north return has a small slatted window.

Adjoining to the north is a further long range consisting of two gabled barn ranges set end-to-end. The first (southern-most) is a circa 1700 barn of whitened rubble with a central segmentally-headed entrance with boarded door and an early 20th-century 3-pane window to the left. Extruded in the angle to the right is a single-storey 20th-century brick addition. The second barn range adjoins flush to the north. This is an earlier, probably mid-17th-century timber-framed structure with whitened early brick infill. It has box-framed walls with braced wall posts, a reduced central entrance with boarded door and 5-pane overlight, and flanking slatted windows symmetrically placed on two levels. The north (house-facing) gable end has a decorative iron weathervane with ball finial.

The primary barn is of 4 bays with queen strut trusses with braced tie-beams (some members missing). The walls have curved braces at the ends, with mostly original purlins and rafters. The northern timber-framed barn is of 3 bays and retains its original tie-beam and raking strut trusses.