Carswell Mediaeval House

Carswell Mediaeval House is a remarkable example of a small, complete mediaeval yeoman's house, dating from approximately 1500. The site’s history stretches back to the early 14th century, when it was held as part of a knight’s fee. From the late 16th century, the property was divided into two, later reunited under joint ownership of the Trustees of the Tenby Charities and the Church of St. Mary’s, Tenby, before being acquired by the current tenant. The house was transferred to state care in 1982 and is now maintained by Cadw.

The building consists of a vaulted undercroft with a large hearth and a single upper room, likely a solar, giving the plan a curious configuration with separate entries to each floor and no internal access between them. A lost extension on the east side once contained stairs to the upper floor. Constructed of coursed rubble limestone with gables facing east and west, the upper room measures approximately 4.2 by 3.9 metres, entered via a door at the northeast corner two steps below floor level. A small hearth on the west wall features a curved lintel on corbels and jambs, with a stone hood sloping back into the wall, its flue connecting to the main flue from the undercroft’s hearth. Projecting stones behind the fireplace suggest hobs, with the lintel and hood projecting approximately 0.3 metres. There are slit windows in the north, west, and south walls, alongside a later, wider, lower window in the south wall.

The undercroft's deep, semi-elliptical vault runs east to west, with intersecting side vaults to the north and south, which appear to be later additions. An original doorway is located on the east side of the north wall, its headroom cut into the vault. The undercroft hearth is approximately 1.4 metres wide by 1.2 metres deep, featuring a segmental arch with deep voussoirs, nearly flat. Remains of a bread oven are present to the left, but are not original. A stone bench beside the hearth may also be later. The building is designated as an Ancient Monument (no. Pe 373) and is listed Grade II* for its significance.