Ty Mawr

Hall house of 3 unit plan within a simple rectangle. Down-hill sited, and timber framed on a high stone plinth. Hipped roof, re-covered in graded slates. The external framing is entirely as reconstructed in the two long walls (square panelled framing), though some original timbers survive in the two gable ends. In the lower gable, the aisle posts and arch braces to collar, together with the intermediate posts for an upper-level window survive, whilst in the upper gable, only the upper queen posts and the elbowed braces to the collar survive. The building has been lime-washed in the restoration. Window and door detail is all as reconstructed, with wide doorways onto the cross passage at the lower end of the hall.

The plan takes the form of a 2-bay central hall, with storeyed outer bays, comprising a small room at the upper or dais end, a through passage separated by a spere truss, and a larger lower room. Gable and partition trusses are aisled and box-framed, but the central hall truss is a base cruck. This has knee braces to the cambered collar which carries a secondary collar truss, with cusped angle braces over the base cruck, and cusping forming quatrefoil at apex. Long curved wind-braces braces rise in each bay to a square-set lower purlin or arcade plate running through the building. Straight angle braces rise to the upper purlins. Spere truss defining passage has octagonal aisle posts rising to brattished capitals, with large braces forming decorative quatrefoil panels (reconstructed) in each aisle bay. Aisled dais partition is square panelled with straight braces to collar, while the aisled passage partition incorporates open panels and has a cambered collar and arched braces. 4 secondary trusses in the end bays rest on the arcade plate. Stone-flagged floor to hall. Timber-framed fireplace (with graffiti date of 1751) inserted against the dais partition retains wattle and daub panel infill (exposed on the inner face of the chimney), and incorporates a later stone side oven on its inner side. Staircase against the fireplace in the hall to the upper chamber is a reconstruction. Inner (parlour) bay partitioned to form two rooms, though perhaps originally undivided: the arched doors at either side are reconstructions: surviving mortices indicate that this was probably the original arrangement. This end bay has 3 chamfered longitudinal beams, and deep chamfered joists. The staircase to the upper room of the outer (service) bay rises from the hall and is reconstructed, employing original mortices.