West Tarr Mediaeval House

West Tarr is a small mediaeval house, dating from an uncertain period, and is one of a significant group of surviving Pembrokeshire mediaeval houses of small size. It is referenced in a document from 1324, relating to a tenth of a knight's fee. The house lacks any defensive features and has undergone alterations at an unknown date, with an extended section of its undercroft vault now destroyed. Cadw has taken the house into care and restored its roof.

The house is constructed of limestone rubble, with selected larger stones used at the corners. The main room is approximately 4 metres long by 3 metres wide, featuring a pointed roof vault rising to a height of about 4 metres. The slate roof covering was recently restored. Both the roof and the undercroft vaults run east to west, parallel to the ground slope upon which the house is built. Two original doorways originally provided access to the main room; one was located in the southwest corner, accessible by stairs leading up from the undercroft level (a fragment of which remains). The other doorway was an external entry situated at the southeast corner, likely reached by external stairs or a ladder. A narrow slit window is present in the east wall, and an original fireplace with a slight external projection was on the south wall.

Later alterations included breaching the original fireplace to form a doorway leading to the higher ground immediately south of the house. The original east door was blocked, and a new fireplace was created adjacent to it, with a flue incorporated into the wall thickness. A large window was inserted into the north wall. The extended portion of the undercroft that originally extended further west than the main room above has been demolished. Wall footings, incorporating a pair of bread ovens, extend north and likely define later structures.

West Tarr is listed at Grade I for its exceptional preservation as a small mediaeval house of the South Pembrokeshire type, and it represents the most complete surviving example. It is designated as Ancient Monument No. Pe 423.