Plasau Duon or Plasauduon is a timber-framed house, formerly in the parish of
Carno
Carno is a village in Powys, Wales. The community, which is also a parish in the historic county of Montgomeryshire, comprises the townships of Derlwyn, Llysyn, and Trowscoed. It is in the geographical centre of Wales.
Geography
The Afon Car ...
, but now within the area of the
community council
A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain.
In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...
of
Caersws
Caersws ( cy, Caersŵs; ) is a village and community on the River Severn, in the Welsh county of Powys (Montgomeryshire) west of Newtown, and halfway between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury. It has a station on the Cambrian Line from Aberystwyth t ...
in the historic county of
Montgomeryshire
, HQ= Montgomery
, Government= Montgomeryshire County Council (1889–1974)Montgomeryshire District Council (1974–1996)
, Origin=
, Status=
, Start=
, End= ...
, and now in
Powys
Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain.
Geog ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. It is located on a site above the left bank of the Afon Carno, on a farm road leading off the lane from the A.470 to Bwlch-y-garreg. It is a fine example of a ‘’Severn Valley’’ house and has a Grade II* listing. It is likely to have been built in the second half of the 16th. century.
History
The Welsh
Herald
A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms.
Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen to ...
Lewys Dunn recorded in the mid-17th century the ancestors of the Evans family who were living at Plasau Duon.
Lewis Evans is known to have been living in 1631 It is likely that it was his grandfather (Howell ap Rhydderch) or great-grandfather (Rhydderch ap Llewelyn) were the builders of the original house. By 1904 Plasau Duon had passed to Miss Mytton, the daughter of the Rev Devereux Mytton of
Llandyssil
Llandyssil is a village in Powys, Wales, about two miles from the town of Montgomery.
The village is part of the Llandyssil community. In 2001 there were 420 inhabitants in the parish, of whom 300 lived in the village itself.The population fig ...
.
Architecture
The house is of the ‘’Severn Valley’’ type, with a storied porch opposite the main back-to-back central fireplace, the hall on the right, and parlour on the left. A rear wing containing the stair, with side lean-to, added later, appears to replace an earlier wing. The
Cadw listing considers that the house was built around 1660,
but the dating by
dendrochronlogy of other similar Montgomeryshire houses with
jettied
Jettying (jetty, jutty, from Old French ''getee, jette'') is a building technique used in medieval timber-frame buildings in which an upper floor projects beyond the dimensions of the floor below. This has the advantage of increasing the avail ...
first floors, such
Great Cefnyberen and
Glas Hirfryn suggest that Plasau Duon could have been built up to a hundred years earlier.
Interior
The hall has a fine ceiling divided into nine square bays with chamfered and label stopped beams and exposed joists. There are
dragon beam
Dragon beam is a horizontal, diagonal beam in the corner(s) of some traditional timber framed buildings. The term is commonly used in both hip roof framing and jettying. Older publications may use the synonyms dragging beam, dragging piece, dragg ...
s to the corners supporting the jettied upper floor. There is a large
inglenook
An inglenook or chimney corner is a recess that adjoins a fireplace. The word comes from "ingle", an old Scots word for a domestic fire (derived from the Gaelic ''aingeal''), and "nook".
The inglenook originated as a partially enclosed heart ...
fireplace with carved arcaded panelling with coat-of arms above. To the left is a carved 17th-century screen which opens to the entrance lobby. Its notable 17th-century floor (beneath modern boards) is of small smooth stones set in earth in geometrical patterns, a technique then widespread in the
Trefeglwys
Trefeglwys is a village and community in Powys, Wales, within the historic county of Montgomeryshire.
The name derives from the Welsh language ''tref'' 'township' and ''eglwys'' 'church'. The village sits on the Afon Trannon. There are many ...
and
Llanidloes areas There is a similar ceiling in the parlour, divided into six bays, and later wainscott and overmantle. In the extension, at the rear is an oak staircase of box type, with moulded handrail and
balusters, and built-in 17th-century cupboards.
Outside
The building is two storied with an attic and slate roof. Plain stone chimney of untypical form. The timber-framed construction has
close studding
Close studding is a form of timber work used in timber-framed buildings in which vertical timbers ( studs) are set close together, dividing the wall into narrow panels. Rather than being a structural feature, the primary aim of close studding is to ...
to the ground floor, and square timber-framing. The upper storey of the porch has bold diamond framing which is similar to
Glas Hirfryn and Rhydycarw in
Trefeglwys
Trefeglwys is a village and community in Powys, Wales, within the historic county of Montgomeryshire.
The name derives from the Welsh language ''tref'' 'township' and ''eglwys'' 'church'. The village sits on the Afon Trannon. There are many ...
. The porch is off-centre because the hall is twice as wide as the parlour. The porch has depressed
ogee
An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinat ...
inner and outer doorheads. There are turned balusters set into the sides of the porch and internal side seats. The older part of the house is jettied on three sides with
ovolo
The ovolo or echinus is a convex decorative molding profile used in architectural ornamentation. Its profile is a quarter to a half of a more or less flattened circle.
The 1911 edition of ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' says:adapted from Ital. ''u ...
and hollow moulded
bressumer
A bressummer, breastsummer, summer beam (somier, sommier, sommer, somer, cross-somer, summer, summier, summer-tree, or dorman, dormant tree) is a load-bearing beam in a timber-framed building. The word ''summer'' derived from sumpter or French ...
s, and supported by brackets.
[”Scourfield”(2013), 101]
Literature
*Davies A,(1903–4) 'The History of the Parish of Carno' Montgomeryshire Collections XXXIII., pp 169–170
*Smith P and Owen CEV, 'Traditional and Renaissance Elements in some late Stuart and early Georgian Half-Timbered Houses in Arwystli' Montgomeryshire Collections LV–LVI. 1957–60, pp 101–124. Plan at Fig. 4 and photographs before restoration at Plate II;
*Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales, (1911), ''Inventory of the Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouth I – County of Montgomery''.
*Scourfield R. and Haslam R. (2013), ''The Buildings of Wales: Powys; Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire and Breconshire'', Yale University Press. pp101.
*Smith P.(1988, 2nd ed.), ''Houses of the Welsh Countryside'', H.M.S.O.,pp 94–5, and maps 10, 19, 30, 33 and 39.
*Suggett R and Stevenson G. (2010), ''Introducing Houses of the Welsh Countryside. Cyflwyno Cartrefi Cefn Gwlad Cymru.'' Y Lolfa/ RCAHMW.
References
{{reflist
''See also'': the following Montgomeryshire Timber-framed houses
*
Great Cefnyberen
*
Ty Mawr, Castle Caereinion
*
Cilthriew, Kerry (Montgomeryshire)
*
Maesmawr Hall, Llandinam
*
Glas Hirfryn, Llansilin
*
Lymore, (Montgomery)
External links
Details on British Listed BuildingsDetails on Coflein
Country houses in Powys
Grade II* listed buildings in Powys
Timber-framed houses in Wales
Buildings and structures in Powys