Plas Uchaf
| Plas Uchaf | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| General information | |
| Town or city | Corwen |
| Country | Wales |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Completed | 15th century |
Plas Uchaf (English: Upper Hall) is a 15th-century cruck-and-aisle-truss hall house, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-west of Corwen, Denbighshire, Wales and 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Cynwyd. Its excellent workmanship indicates a house originally of considerable importance; it has been described as "of palatial significance".[1]
Construction
The house consists of a long rectangle divided by a cross passage. The west end is a large hall some 25 feet (7.6 m) high.[2] The east end consists of smaller rooms on two floors. The roof structure is substantial, of paired cruck beams with additional horizontal, vertical and diagonal bracing.[3] One unusual feature is that the truss between the cross-passage and hall is an aisle truss, a form normally only found in much larger buildings such as barns and churches. This suggests the use of English craftsmen[2] and is an indication of the status of the original inhabitants.[4]
The walls are of stone rubble[2] but were originally half-timbered.[5]
Early history
The early history of the building is not documented. The original construction was thought to date from the late 14th or early 15th century,[2] but part of the structure has been dated to 1435 by tree-ring dating.[5] This is thought to be consistent with its use as the seat of the barons of Cymmer-yn-Edeirnion.[6]
In the 16th century the hall was divided horizontally by the addition of an inserted floor supported by moulded cross beams.[2]
Decline and restoration
The house was listed as a house of the gentry as late as 1707[7] but was later split into two or three labourers' cottages.[2][8] The house was occupied until at least 1933.[2]
Plas Uchaf was listed Grade I in 1952.[9]
However, by 1964 the building had been abandoned. The inserted floor and panelling had been removed, and the structure was falling into ruin.[3] Peter Smith and Ffrangcon Lloyd drew attention to the building in 1964,[3] and it was eventually taken on and restored by the Landmark Trust.[10]
The building is now maintained using income from its use as holiday accommodation.[10]
References
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- Plas Uchaf at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales
- Plas Uchaf at the Landmark Trust
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- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Cited by Smith/LLoyd as "Edward Llwyd, Parochilia (ed. R. H. Morris), II, p. 56"
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- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
