Y Dolydd

Y Dolydd is an ambitious and well-executed classical building, representing one of the more architecturally significant workhouses. It dates from the 18th century and retains a largely unaltered character. The building follows a cruciform plan, typical of the period and building type, with four wings aligned north-west to south-east, and south-west to north-east, radiating from a central octagonal section, creating four courtyards. A range of buildings has been lost from the south courtyard. The construction is primarily dark rubble with paler dressings and quoins to the entrance front, while the wings are built of red brick with some blue brick dressings to later 19th and early 20th century alterations.

The central three-storey section features a square cupola with a pyramidal roof, restored in 2020, and a rectangular red brick chimney to each arm of the cross. The four lower, two-storey wings extend from the central section; many retain original local red brick with lightly cambered voussoir lintels, although they have been deepened, and some tall windows have been inserted. Some windows, especially in the south-west wing, feature blue brick dressings. Generally, the windows contain small pane glazing, with some original cast iron frames. Attached cross ranges are located at the ends of the south-west and north-east wings, matching the style of the main building.

The entrance range, located at the end of the north-west wing, faces north-west and is two storeys high with a shallow plinth and a seven-bay central block flanked by advanced gabled end blocks. A band course separates the floors. The central block’s first floor features small-pane metal windows, while the ground floor has round-headed windows, with the third and fifth bays containing round-headed doors. The round-headed openings include keystones and impost blocks connecting between the openings. The gabled end bays feature, within a recessed arched surround also incorporating a keystone and impost blocks, a round-headed window to the first floor and a Venetian window to the ground floor. Single-storey sections with hipped outer roof slopes are located at the ends of the entrance block. Two-storey pavilion-like blocks in a similar style are found in the north and west courtyards; their north-west facing gabled ends have a blocked round-arched window (first floor) and a blocked square-headed window (ground floor) within recessed arched surrounds. The east courtyard is closed by a low block with a hipped roof, connected to the south-east wing by a retaining wall (a similar block to the south courtyard has been demolished).

The original plan form is well preserved, with two original staircases in the central section, and some surviving detail in the entrance area.