Tŷ Mawr, Castle Caereinion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tŷ Mawr, Castle Caerenion |
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| General information | |
| Location | Powys, Wales, UK |
| Coordinates | 52°37′51″N 3°13′25″W / 52.630738°N 3.223720°W |
| OS grid | SJ 17273 04365 |
Tŷ Mawr is a very old and special house located in a place called Trefnant, within the historic area of Castle Caereinion in Montgomeryshire, Wales. It's known as a Grade I-listed building, which means it's considered one of the most important historic buildings in the country. This house is built using a method called timber framing, where a strong wooden frame forms the main structure.
The house was originally home to the Lloyd family, whose ancestors had lived in Trefnant since the 1200s. For a long time, Tŷ Mawr was hidden and used as a farm building. But in 1971, it was rediscovered! After that, it was carefully restored between 1997 and 1998 to look like it did in the late 1600s. This amazing restoration project even won an award called the "Building of the Year" in 2000.
In 2001, a whole book was written about how Tŷ Mawr was found and all the research done on it. Today, you can sometimes visit the house to see its unique history for yourself.
Contents
Discovering and Restoring Tŷ Mawr
How the House Was Found
Tŷ Mawr was found by two people, Peter Smith and Cecil Vaughan Owen, in 1971. At that time, the house was being used as a farm building and was covered with corrugated metal sheets. It was hard to tell what it really was!
In 1979, experts started to study the building. Later, in 1997, a special dating method called dendrochronology was used. This method looks at tree rings in the wood to find out exactly when the trees were cut down. For Tŷ Mawr, it showed that the wood for the first part of the house was cut in 1460 AD.
Uncovering Its Past
Along with the building study, archaeologists also dug up parts of the site in 1979 and again in 1997. This digging helped them understand how people lived in the house over time. They found that Tŷ Mawr was a great example of a Welsh longhouse. This type of house was common in Wales and often had a living area for people at one end and a space for animals, like cows, at the other.
Experts also studied how the house was built, looking at the carpentry techniques and the geometric shapes used in its design. They even looked at the plants around the house, like old fruit trees in the hedges, to learn about the farming history of the area.
Saving a Historic Building
The Welsh government bought Tŷ Mawr in 1975 to protect it. Then, in 1997, the house was leased back to the Powis Estates for a very long time. The restoration work was done by Michael Garner and a company called Frank Galliers and Co. between 1997 and 1998. Thanks to their efforts, this amazing building was saved and restored for future generations to enjoy.
The Architecture of Tŷ Mawr
Building Style and Materials
Tŷ Mawr is a box-framed house, which means its main structure is made of strong wooden beams that form a box-like shape. The outside walls are covered with a white lime wash. The house is four sections long and sits on a stone base built into the side of a hill. It has a wide roof that slopes down on two sides, called a half-hipped roof. Originally, the roof might have been thatched, but now it has tiles.
Key Dates in Its Construction
The main wooden timbers of the house were dated by dendrochronology to 1460. This means the trees were cut down around that time. Later, in 1594, a second floor was added inside the main hall. Then, in 1631, a special wooden structure called a smoke-hood was built inside to help with the smoke from the fireplace.
Inside the House
During the restoration, the smoke-hood was kept, but the rest of the house was brought back to its original layout. It now has three main sections, with rooms at each end and an open hall in the middle. The hall has two large wooden posts, called speres, that help support the roof. There are also strong, curved wooden beams, known as crucks, that span the entire width of the hall, which is about 7.5 meters (24.6 feet). These features are similar to other important houses found in north-east Wales and north-west England.
The History of the Lloyd Family
The Lloyd family, who built Tŷ Mawr, were descendants of Alo ap Rhiwallon. This family had lived in the Trefnant area since the 1200s. It's believed that Dafydd ap Gwilym, a great-great-grandson of Alo ap Rhiwallon, was the person who built the original Tŷ Mawr.
Over many years, the Lloyd family became very important landowners in Trefnant. Eventually, by 1911, all the land in Trefnant township became part of the estates owned by the Earl of Powis.
See also
- Cilthriew, Kerry (Montgomeryshire)
- Great Cefnyberen
- Penarth (Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn)
- Maesmawr Hall, Llandinam
- Glas Hirfryn, Llansilin
- Trewern Hall
