Branas Uchaf

Branas Uchaf is a long, two-storey, four-window range facing south, built of random grey stone. The construction incorporates very large blocks of medieval masonry in the lower walls. It has slate roofs and massive external stone stacks to the left and right ends, the right-hand stack featuring a pilastered, diagonally-set shaft. A central ridge stack is located to the right of centre. The gable ends reveal evidence that the house was raised to two storeys at a later date, and both gables have raised stone copings. The main entrance is situated to the right of centre, with an inserted chimney backing onto the entry. It features a pointed-arched doorway with a cavetto moulding and monolithic stone jambs, containing a boarded door. The lower storey has stone windows with ovolo-moulded mullions, stone hoodmolds, and iron glazing. There are two three-light windows to the left of the doorway, a two-light window to the right, and a three-light window to the right end. The upper storey has four two-light wooden casements with quarries, rising to eaves with stone sills.

A single-unit, single-storey wing extends to the west, flush with the gable end of the main range and predating the raising of the house to two storeys. The west side has a small, stone-lined window, and the gable has raised stone copings and a boarded opening to the loft. A pointed-arched stone doorway on the east side of the wing, similar to the front entrance, provides access through a boarded door; this doorway may have been re-set from elsewhere. At the rear of the main range, a three-light stone mullioned window is offset to the right, with the lights infilled with stone.

An east wing, two storeys and three windows in height, is aligned flush with the external chimney breast and faces east. A stone end stack is located to the right. A doorway to the upper storey, centrally positioned, provides access with a boarded door and is reached by external stone stairs. A porch beneath the stairs has a 20th-century boarded door on the north side and a light on the east front. Windows with segmental brick heads flank the porch, with 20th-century wooden glazing. Above, two-light casements rise to eaves; the left-hand window is 20th century. A catslide lean-to at the rear of the wing incorporates a 20th-century window and some blocked openings; the lean-to obscures the original rear doorway of the entrance passage.

No access was possible to the interior during inspection. The house is said to contain a two-bay hall, with an aisle-truss dividing the right-hand bay, and a parlour (formerly an inner room) beyond. To the right of the passage are two outer rooms, one of which was used as a kitchen from the 17th century, complete with its own chimney and external rear doorway. A portion of a sphere post is reportedly embedded in the inserted fireplace in the hall, and the dais partition is said to be hidden behind the 17th-century panelling of the parlour. A staircase has been inserted into the entrance passage. Previously recorded details include chamfered ceiling beams and joists, pointed arch doorways, and original partitions. The east wing appears to have had a service function, with a granary positioned above.