Plas Meifod

Plas Meifod is an ambitious, storeyed farmhouse dating from the early 19th century, built with a rectangular main range and two rear wings forming an ‘F’ plan. The construction is limestone with a timber-frame core, now covered by a modern slate roof. Tall, central and lateral chimneys feature weathercoursing and modern capping. The front facade is four bays wide and has asymmetrical window openings, with an off-centre entrance to the left, featuring a modern boarded door and a three-pane overlight. To the left of the entrance are single windows to the ground and first floors, diagonally arranged. To the right of the entrance is a blocked-up opening with two windows to each floor. All window openings have early 19th century segmental heads with dressed limestone voussoirs, and the windows now have modern stained wood casement glazing and slate sills.

The rear of the house is whitened and has gabled projecting wings in the centre and to the far right. The central wing is a low, one-and-a-half storeyed dairy addition with modern casement windows to the gable, and a modern part-glazed door to the return side. The right-hand wing predates the central wing and is an early addition, likely from the first half of the 17th century. It formerly had a tall end chimney, which has now been reduced. A slated “Popty Mawr” projection is visible to the lower gable. The rear of the main block includes two small-pane modern casements to the first floor centre, and a six-light oak mullioned window to the ground floor, which replaces a longer original window with off-set oak mullions.

The building has a chimney-backing-on-entry plan, with a central stack serving the former hall (to the right of the entrance). An unheated service bay is located to the left. The hall features stopped-chamfered lateral beams with finely stopped-chamfered joists and a fireplace bressummer with a later camber. The floor is slate-flagged. A late 16th or early 17th century post-and-panel partition divides the hall, displaying traces of contemporary painted decoration on the top rail. Two roundels are visible, one bearing the initials 'MH' in black and white (or yellow?), along with a stylised shield also bearing initials. Beyond this partition is a former parlour with a lateral fireplace, featuring similar ceiling and bressummer details.

Above the hall, on the first floor, the full-cruck chamfered truss of the original two-bay open hall is visible up to collar height, with raking struts above. The present, modern staircase incorporates an early oak ovolo-moulded balustrade and newel post with a shaped top, believed to be remnants of a former 17th century staircase.