The Lost Cottages - Ty'n Llyn, Llyn Alwen, Pentrefoelas

Up on the Denbigh Moors, not far from Pentrefoelas, is the idyllic little moorland lake of Llyn Alwen. Alwen is one of a cluster of lakes and reservoirs in the area, the largest of which is the 1970s creation Llyn Brenig, an artificial reservoir which drowned a valley and is surrounded by prehistoric monuments. Near Llyn Brenig sit the Aled Isaf Reservoir, Llyn Aled, the tiny Llyn Bran, and the large Alwen Reservoir (so called, presumably, because it was created from the Afon Alwen.) Afon Alwen flows from the tear-drop shaped Llyn Alwen, and this is where Ty'n Llyn (House in the Lake) sits, on the broad northern end of the 'tear.'

Little is mentioned about Ty'n Llyn (Ordnance Survey Grid Reference SH 8978 5685) online, except for a few photographs taken by others who have passed this way. The house exists on the 1888-1913 map, complete with boathouse and jetty, but it's likely many years older than this. The jetty is no longer visible, although a line can be seen underwater on aerial views. It doesn't seem quite like a farm to me, though. The place has very few outbuildings, including the boathouse, a small outbuilding at the back, and a small shed off to the side. There are no big barns. The boathouse itself seems to indicate a certain degree of luxury and privilege. On the other hand, the house is relatively small. It's a good house, and would be large for a hafod (a small house for farming during the summer months), but it's no luxury mansion.

I walked over to Ty'n Llyn from Llyn Aled, and this was a very rough walk over unforgiving moorland of knee-high tussocks of grass and occasionally thigh high rushes. Falls were frequent, but luckily onto very soft, often wet, ground. I was a little lower than the footpath marked. Perhaps the land would have been better if I'd been on the path. The walk of about two kilometres from Llyn Aled and the same back, with a swift look around the house, took me two hours in all. I was pleased to make it, with a bad back, sore knees, and sore shoulder, although I was almost at the point of turning back when I finally got my first glimpse of the lake over the undulating ground. There appears to be a track to the lake leading from the west side, joining the B5113, which is a long walk, but might be an easier one. All the land for either walk is Right to Roam land, with the track being marked as public access.

See a short video of the house here. 

My first sight of Llyn Alwen, after panting and stumbling through very rough terrain. The house can be seen in the cluster of trees to the right.

The house almost seems to have been situated just to make a perfect photograph.

The house set back from the lake, with the boathouse close to the shore.

 

The only other outbuilding in front of the house is this small shed, off to one side.

 

 

 The house itself is of a rather beautiful construction, typical of two-storey farmhouses in this area.

 The front wall of the boathouse has quite a slant to it. This appears to be by design, unless it's a peculiar form of subsidence.

 

 The boathouse, with slit windows in the walls and a door at the end facing the house.

 

 Inside the boathouse, one of the beams over the door is still in good shape. It's been suggested that the ring in the beam might have been for use with a pully, to haul the boat in.

 Not much remains of the roof but a few timbers.

 

This photograph by John S. Turner, taken in 2006 (shared under this Creative Commons license), shows a lot more of the boathouse roof intact, with some slates and ridge tiles remaining.

 

 The front of the boathouse opens up with a wide doorway onto the lake. Fallen roof timbers can be seen to the side. You can see in this photo how the wall seems to widen out towards the base, which perhaps accounts for the slant.

 

 Fallen slates and roof timbers inside the boathouse.

 

 One of the small slit windows, from inside the boathouse.

 

 Inside the boathouse, looking through the wide door to the lake.

 

 Some of the remaining roof timbers against the sky.

 

 The doorway into the boathouse, from outside.

 

 

 The boathouse, surrounded by rushes, looking out over the lake.

  

The only other mostly-intact outhouse is this small shed, evidently still used in some way by the farmer.

 

The roof of this shed is falling in. Inside there are partitions for farm work.

 

 The front of the house, looking towards the smaller rooms away from the main room.

 

Some of the house roof is in relatively good condition, but deteriorating over the windows.

 

 Looking through the porch into the house.

 

 

 

 Inside the porch, a small nook in the wall.

 

 

Looking past the front door into the house. The remains of joists, and of the plaster and lath partition between hallway and main room, can be seen on the ground.

 

 

This interior door to the main room lies open, but the plaster and lath wall separating main room from hallway has gone now. More modern repair work has obviously been done at some point, considering the breeze block wall at the end of the hallway. No sign of the staircase remains.

 

 A close-up of some of the rotten and fallen joists from the first floor.

 

This photograph by John S Turner (shared under this Creative Commons license) was taken in 2006, and shows the uprights and some of the lath and plaster from the old partition wall still in place.

 

 The view from the main room to outside. The wall is in bad condition both above and below the window.

 

 Perhaps this was something of an understairs space, but it appears to be relatively modern, considering the materials used.

 

 A little of the ceiling remains for this main room downstairs, and the walls still have some of their whitewash. The fireplace has a rather lovely beam, the beam and the sides of the fireplace all being painted black.

 

 A glimpse of the ceiling above, with some of the original joists.

 Much of the kitchen range still survives, with the brick surround built into the fireplace.

 

This photograph, again taken by John S Turner in 2006 (and shared under this Creative Commons license), shows beautiful doors still on the kitchen range. With there being no sign of these doors on the ground now, it's possible they've been stolen, or perhaps taken away by the owner. It's sad to think of people treating these places with anything less than respect.

 

A dead sheep lay in front of the fireplace, a gruesome and bizarre sight, because it looks as though it lay down in front of the fire for warmth. The smell wasn't exactly inviting.

 

 Presumably once this would have been a big open fire, and was later adapted to a more efficient fire with stoves for cooking.

A crushed - something - on the floor. I'm not sure what this once was.

A view of some of the larger beams making up the first floor, now rotting away.

The roof above, partly repaired with corrugated iron. Perhaps if more of these houses were treated in this way, they could be preserved for longer.

 

 It's easy to see how much better the interior has survived to the left, under the corrugated iron, compared with on the right, where the slates have fallen.

Looking up at the roof, and the door upstairs into one of the bedrooms.

 

 

The doorway looks tall and narrow. Fallen roof timbers can be seen beyond.

The doorway downstairs into the front room, perhaps a small parlour.

 

 

On the first floor, above the door to the parlour, it's hard to be sure what this was. Perhaps a nook to hold a lamp to light the stairs?

The parlour window, with its view over the lake.

 

 

 The parlour fireplace, still with its grate.

 

Looking back out of the parlour, through into the main room. Originally, of course, the partition wall would have blocked the view - although the partition might not be original to the house.

 Looking up at the roof above the parlour.

 

 

An attempt to see more of the first floor room by holding my phone up high above my head. Considering the single door, there was probably only one room over this section of the house, or else more partitions that have gone.

 

 

Next to the doorway into the parlour is a door into a back room, perhaps a scullery.

 

The wall has actually had to be thinned out towards the door to make room for the entry.

A doorway leads from the possible scullery out of the back of the house. Fallen slates from the roof are piled up on their sides in the doorway.

 

The window in the scullery has been blocked up, and the beam is rotting.

 

Under a rubble of rocks, slates, and joists, a slate flag floor can be seen.

  

 

An upstairs fireplace, visible from the room below.

 

 

 One of the ridge tiles on the scullery floor.

 

 Behind the house are trees, and a small outbuilding, mostly ruined. 

The small outbuilding behind the house. Not much is left. 

The wall at the back of the house is mostly in good condition. 

Above the scullery, the wall has suffered more, probably due to the poor condition of the roof.

In this photograph by John S. Turner, in 2006, there appears to be something of a porch on the back of the house, over the scullery door. No sign of this appeared in 2020. (Photo shared under this Creative Commons license.)

 

Looking past the side of the house to the boathouse and lake. 

 

The end of the house and main chimney. 

Not far from the house is a solitary osprey nest, put up to help the species breed. 

Leaving the house behind. It's sad that no one wakes up with the view over the lake any more.

The situation could hardly be more idyllic in summer. In winter, on the other hand, the house is probably quite inaccessible.

Imagine this place being your summer retreat.

The moorland on the long walk back to Llyn Aled, looking in the direction of Llyn Alwen. 

The path ahead. For a while on this walk, neither lake can be seen, there's no phone signal, and the moor seems endless.