Gelli Farm Cottage

Gelli Farm and Gelli Farm Cottage

This is a longhouse of rubble stone with a slate roof, built in the early 17th century. It originally comprised a hall, passage and cow house arranged in a linear range aligned east-west on a sloping site, with a separate bakehouse providing additional accommodation for farm hands. Further sleeping space was created by constructing an attic over the cow house, reached from the main stairs.

A north wing was added in the early 18th century, possibly in 1717 when other improvements to the farm are dated. This wing was two storeys with a loft reached by ladder from the main house. Around 1820, based on dated improvements to other farm buildings, a parlour with integral dairy and new stair were added on the uphill side of the hall. The north wing was subsequently extended by the addition of two cottages, which appear on the Llangynwyd Tithe map of 1842, though evidence in the building suggests these cottages were constructed by altering and extending an earlier building. The present cottages are late 19th century in character. In the later 20th century the dairy was demolished and a small lean-to built in its place. The house was also divided into two dwellings, with the north wing and cottages becoming a separate dwelling from the main farmhouse.

The main south-facing range has rendered and cream-painted walls. The doorway to the cross passage, now a kitchen, is left of centre, flanked by an added outshut on the left and lean-to on the right, though the end walls of these, which define the cow house ends, are original and evidence a former pentice. The doorway has a drip stone and window above. To the right of the lean-to is a 19th-century sash window to the hall, with a window above under the wall plate, and further right a parlour window under a drip stone. The outshut to the cow house has a central doorway flanked by windows. The upper gable end has a window upper left under a drip stone. The downhill gable end has an inserted loft doorway.

The north-facing cow house wall retains traces of limewash, with doorways at the right end under lintel and drip stone and a segmental-headed doorway to the centre. The window to the left is inserted in place of the original cross-passage doorway. A loft doorway is upper left under a wooden lintel, while a larger inserted window is upper right. A skylight is inserted upper left.

The original north wing is pebble-dashed with a slate roof and roughcast stack. Facing west, it has a doorway to the right of centre and a window under a drip stone to the left, with a similar window under drip stone upper right and a window to the left. Set back to the left are a single-fronted then a double-fronted cottage, now a single dwelling with the north wing, with slate roofs and roughcast stacks. The cottages have windows inserted in original segmental-headed openings. The cottage to the right has a stone gabled porch; the cottage to the left has a larger added gabled porch. Projecting stone bands in the front wall are possibly related to an earlier building, suggesting the cottages were converted from an earlier use. The cottages have outshuts behind under catslide roofs, with added skylights.

Gelli Farm Cottage occupies the north wing and attached cottages.

Most windows are renewals in earlier openings. The main range has stone stacks at the right end and right of centre.