Pontyspig Farmhouse

Built of rough grey pennant rubble with some dressed quoins and stone tile roofs, excepting the main entrance elevation roof which was changed to Welsh slate, presumably as a part of the upgrading of this front in the early/mid C19. The stonework has probably all been plastered and limewashed at some stage but only fragments of this remain. Two storeys and attics, three room plan with crosspassage entry, a type B house with the main stack backing onto the passage. The entrance (south west) elevation has a Regency character having been rewindowed and roofed in 1830-40. Three windows, 8 over 8 sashes except for the casement on the ground floor left, the upper left and the middle and bottom right sashes have horns. Plank door with gabled slated porch on raking struts. Two dormers with zinc cheeks and sloping slated tops, the gable end and central stacks are all rebuilt in Victorian red brick. The left gable has a single storey lean-to, above is evidence of two blocked windows, and this is mirrored on the right gable. The rear elevation wholly retains its C17 character, except the bay to the right of the stair gable is masked by a lean-to dairy with a C20 window. Two windows on each floor to the left of the stair and one on each half landing on the stair. All these are 3-light oak mullioned windows as far as can be seen, two have one light blocked, one has two lights blocked, and two are wholly blocked, but the one on the stair can be seen to be complete inside; probably all are complete. They have ovolo moulded mullions and drips over.

Although the C17 planning survives, the character of the rooms is of the early/mid C19 upgrading. The hall/living room has a plain firesurround with an iron range. the beams are plastered over. The partition between this and the inner room is plastered and may retain the oak post and panel screen, but not the doorways, which are later. The kitchen is Victorian in character with a timber lintel to the fireplace and a brick bread oven to the left. The dairy behind has a rough lean-to roof. The cross passage was blocked by the construction of the stair tower. The entrance to the staircase is to the right of the fireplace and may replace a previous firestair. The staircase is built round a square central pier and goes in short flights, it is stone right to the attic. 3-light windows on the half landings have ovolo mullions with a broad fillet. The bedrooms have the beams plastered over and plain C19 fireplaces. The sash windows on the front elevation have shutters. The attic was never plastered out. It has principal rafter trusses with two tiers of staggered purlins over the kitchen and trenched purlins over the rest of the house. Ridge pieces. Both parts of the roof have some smoke blackening, but not all of the timbers in either part. None of the principal trusses are blackened, but some of both the purlins and the secondary rafters.