Main Farmyard Group at Castle Malgwyn Farm

The Main Farmyard Group at Castle Malgwyn Farm is a farmyard complex, significantly altered, likely dating to around 1798, although a weathervane is inscribed with the date 1867. The layout is unusual, presenting a formal design centered around a large, classical entrance gateway on the north side of the farmyard. This gateway opens onto a narrow court flanked by gabled ranges, with half-hipped ranges set at right angles behind them, facing an east-west thoroughfare. To the south of this central area is a roughly half-oval group featuring a southern entrance tower, flanked by short ranges, and then curving, single-storey ranges of stalls or open cart sheds. Steep slate steps descend south of the tower to the farmhouse. Historic maps from 1843 and 1842-3 indicate the absence of the east-west thoroughfare, with access solely from the north and south.

The northern group of buildings is primarily of rubble stone construction, with the north gateway appearing to be from the 19th century. This gateway showcases cut Cilgerran stone, incorporating an elliptical arch, a keystone, impost blocks, and a heavy cornice. Rubble walls run alongside the gateway. The ranges within are heavily altered, with all openings filled in. The west range seems to have been built in two sections; the north section features a blocked entry with a pine lintel, while the south section has two blocked doors with stone voussoirs and a blocked window. Outside steps are located at the south end. The rear elevation includes a blocked arched doorway to the south and a blocked tall arch to the north, both featuring finely cut stone voussoirs. The east range has five blocked doors on the ground floor and three loft windows above, also with stone voussoirs. The ranges set at right angles have half-hipped roofs and generally blocked south-facing openings. The southeastern range has three blocked loft windows with cut stone voussoirs and a blocked tall door on the ground floor, alongside two 20th-century metal windows with rough voussoirs. The southwestern range features a similar design, including three loft windows, two blocked windows, and a tall door, all with matching voussoirs. A concrete block marks the west end. A later 19th-century three-sided court has been added to the exterior northeast side, featuring open-fronted single-storey construction with iron posts, likely replacements.

The southern group is dominated by a two-story rubble stone tower. It has a high round archway allowing passage through and a single upper window on each side with sandstone voussoirs. A low-pitched roof is topped with a short, timber louvred bell-turret and an iron weathervane marked ‘EG 1867’ supported by short stone piers. Each side of the tower, there are short single-storey straight ranges that curve to form the roughly half-oval shape. The west side has grouted slate roofs, with the first four bays open and supported by stone piers, transitioning to a curved, short section before continuing as a long range of open bays. Some of these bays have been infilled, with one being double-width, possibly due to the removal of a pier. The east side originally had an open section, now infilled in two bays, followed by an altered broad opening, then a curving section in rubble stone with a slate roof, including a blocked door, broad altered opening, window, door, window, broad altered opening and then a blocked door and window. All windows are 20th-century metal windows.