Ffion and Andrew Davies' house| The Most Welsh of Welsh Homes Greg Stevenson, Y Tŷ Cymreig’s expert on Wales’ architectural heritage, says “If I was forced to choose just one building as representative of traditional Welsh architecture I would probably settle on a longhouse”. “Although the idea of a longhouse, where people and their livestock live under one long roof, is not unique to Wales, this style of house survived here longer and in greater numbers than anywhere else. Because of this observers started to use the prefix Welsh before the term ‘longhouse’ in the same way that they do with dressers, and they are now considered an important part of our architectural heritage.” One consequence of this is that a number of our treasured longhouses have been renovated over the last decade, as can be seen in some of the houses featured in this programme. One of the features that makes Welsh longhouses different is that the entrance to the house is often shared with the doorway used by the cattle. In England the idea of sharing an entrance with farmyard beasts was falling from fashion by the seventeenth century, as it could make entering the house a messy business, but many Welsh longhouses from this period retain this characteristic. Greg explains “Cattle have always been a precious commodity, and having them within earshot through the night was a useful thing. Some longhouses even had a door from the main bedroom of the house directly into the feeding loft of the byre, providing easy access in case of trouble.” In fact research has shown that the original owners of Nannerth Ganol, in the Elan Valley, were deeply involved in the cattle-rustling business, back in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Today the cows have been banished, but many of the longhouse’s Tudor-era features have been carefully restored. The lovely chimney and the windows are original, as are the stone stairs that spiral up to the loft. Another terrific example of a longhouse nestles in the Brecon Beacons, having been lovingly restored with only the lightest touch by Dr Russell Rhys. The building has had no internal floors added, and so has survived as one huge open hall with byre attached. It has also escaped the addition of modern facilities, such as a television and a sofa, so the house retains its ancient atmosphere. Alongside the wonderful collection of primitive Welsh furniture, the room is dominated by a huge stone over the fireplace. Llannerch y Cawr, another longhouse in the Elan Valley, has a wonderful interior, particularly upstairs where you can see the beauty of the original wooden framework. In contrast, Nant-y-Fedw in the Afan Valley is an un-restored example of a longhouse that has changed little since the seventeenth century. |
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