Above the doorway, under the beams, a few remains of laths can be seen where the top of the doorway would have been plastered.
Inside the house, a small window, or perhaps a doorway to the rear extension, can be seen in the back wall. If this is a doorway, it shows the height of the rubble in the interior.
Some of the window lintels, possibly, lie on top of the rubble. Note the sawn edge of the lintel to the far right, and the height of the main fireplace to the left.
Possibly these ceramic tubes are the remains of a chimney lining. There may have been more internal fireplaces, and there's a suggestion of one in the north-east corner of the house which contains similar pipe. A lot of this fallen stone looks to have been quarried and brought to the location, rather than gleaned from the land around.
A piece of rubble with possibly some remains of render still attached to it, edging something.
More scattered remains of ceramic pipe. The amount would make sense in the context of a chimney lining, and it's near this north-east corner where there seems to have been a fireplace.
A close up of the ceramic pipe, which would have been about a foot in diameter.
This is the north-east corner of the building, with the pipe still in situ.
This large, curving stone construction around the chimney pipe seems integral to the original house, looking at how the stones key in under the window beam. It would be interesting to see if there were a fireplace beneath the rubble.
A beam lying on the floor just on the inside of the front doorway.
The end of this beam over the south-east window - the lefthand from outside - is very rotten and frayed.
Looking at the first floor south-east window, the slate lintel construction can be seen, with very thin lintels.
Presumably these timbers have fallen from the floor above, or perhaps from the roof.
The timber seems to have been burnt at some point, perhaps by people playing around up here.
The end of the timber has rusted nails in it.
A closer look at the big fireplace at the southern end of the house, which is almost lost behind rubble. Perhaps iron ovens survive, protected by the stones.
The centre of the fireplace has been built out with brick. This nook is to the right end of the fireplace.
Only the upper levels of brick can be seen. The ovens and grate would be lower than this.
To the left of the fireplace, the side of the brick interior can be seen.
A roof slate in the rubble.
The fireplace has been built into a protrusion of stonework, forming a shelf on the first floor.
Upstairs, above the big fireplace, a small bedroom fireplace can be seen.
The chimney above the fireplaces, at the south end of the house.
The view of the house and its small garden, with a lone scots pine behind the house.
Standing in the front garden, a small wall can be made out covered in grass and moss. Just beyond are some of the outbuildings.
The stamp is that of the
Catherall brickworks, established in the eighteenth century by Johnathan Catherall.
The south end of the house, partly buried in the slope of the hill, with the chimney stack still looking very stable.
Detail of this south-east corner of the building, with a timber running across the top of the wall level.
Detail of the chimney, with well faced stones which help to make it more stable.
An old and very damaged iron gate is being subsumed by the grass and earth.
At the back of the house, the west facing aspect, some render remains on the wall, and the remains of an extension can be seen.
These tumbled remains seem rather rougher than the house itself, and are rather hard to decipher because of their ruined condition.
A remnant of the roof has fallen and landed almost intact, with some of the slates still in their positions on the wood.
Inside the extension all is rubble and fallen timbers.
The corner of the extension, showing it would have been rendered at one point.
This north end of the house is typical of these buildings; the south end catches all of the weather that whips up the valley, and tends to lose its render, while the north end survives much better.
A doorway can be seen into this back extension.
The north end of the house, with its render surviving mostly uncracked, except where the wall has begun to fall.
The outbuildings seem to be more roughly constructed than the main house. It seems very likely that this is the stable mentioned in the will.
Joist holes can be seen inside, either side of this first floor northern doorway. It looks as if there would have been a window in this southern end.
The doorway into the southern chamber.
This southern end is far more intact than the northern.
The south-eastern corner of the outbuilding.
Hung on a piece of metal stuck in the wall is this lovely horseshoe, which lends credence to the thought that this was the stable.
These two pieces of iron were in a hole in the wall just to the left of the horseshoe.
The possible doorway with joist holes either side. Perhaps this provided communication between the upper floor of both cells, although it's interesting that the holes are above the bottom of the doorway.
In the corner, a large amount of fallen rubble.
Another roof ridge tile, although this one doesn't seem to have a maker's mark.
The inside of the northern cell, which is much more ruined.
A small amount of render survives on this wall.
The possible first floor doorway from the other side.
The view of the end of the house from the outbuilding.
Another abandoned gate, leaning against a fence post near the house.
Further away from the house are more conifers, larches this time, and more outbuildings. Perhaps this is the 'old house' of the 1830 will. The conifers planted around it are typical of houses up here.
As mentioned earlier, a little confusion comes in over 'Brwynog' when looking at the documentary evidence. Perhaps this outbuilding is the 'old house' of the 1830 will. But the 1841 census lists 'Brwynog' twice, as well as Brwynog Ucha. Pen y Bryn Brwynog is not specifically mentioned but 'Pen y Bryn' is mentioned in the right order to put it where it sits, near Siglen. So it seems that Pen y Bryn Brwynog, and Brwynog Ucha are both accounted for, with two extra Brwynogs on top. Were there people living in the 'old house' again at this point? It is possible, but it's also possible that there's another house unaccounted for on the maps. These houses disappear very quickly once uninhabited. Could it alternatively be possible that two families are sharing the one house? On Robert Dawson's 1822 map Brwynog Ucha and Brwynog Isa are both clearly marked, and the only other Brwynog to be seen is Pen y Bryn Brwynog.
The remains of a causeway leading to the outbuildings.
Looking from the south west, across the outbuildings to the hills beyond.
A relatively small cell in the outbuildings.
While the eastern wall is relatively intact, this back wall has tumbled almost to the ground in places.
A doorway between the two cells, partially blocked with stones, and with the wooden beams rotting and failing.
A closer look at the top of this doorway. It looks as if one of the beams has been burnt at some time, and the rocks are starting to drop above.
Inside the southern cell, which is a relatively large space. There's no sign of a fireplace in this building, although a much older
house could have had a fire which let smoke out through the thatch
instead of through a dedicated fireplace and chimney.
The doorway into this larger cell, with just the beam surviving above it.
A wider look at the doorway between the two cells.
The beam above the front door, winnowed down to knots and grain.
The southern wall is starting to collapse in places.
Looking back towards the site of the main house from the corner of the outbuilding.
The outside of this southern wall is rather beautiful, tightly built with lichen patterning the stones.
A view of the outbuilding from the east, with two doorways into the main cell. The end wall seems to be leaning inwards.
This appears to be the remains of another cell of the building, built onto the front of the eastern side.
The place has a little enclosure attached.
Another ruined building sits a little further away, but there seems to be little left of this, and the weather had deteriorated so much that, soaked and freezing, I didn't investigate.
Looking back towards the main house, which is just visible in the rain behind the tree in the foreground.
A last pass of the house on our way back to the car, freezing and windswept. It's unknown when the house was finally abandoned, but it has been suggested that the valley was deliberately cleared, or at least that the houses up here, once abandoned, were not re-occupied, due to fears of a dam disaster like that
at Eigiau in 1925. Only a year before the Eigiau disaster, in 1924, the Cowlyd dam suffered a
partial failure, and the reservoir has
since been altered. I haven't been able to find the house in the 1939 census, but I think this may be due to a poor search facility rather than conclusive evidence that it wasn't inhabited at that time.
From a distance, the house looks lonely and vulnerable in this wild land.
A little way from the house, a sheepfold is built against the side of a rocky outcrop, which is probably associated with this farm, or, if not, with Brwynog Uchaf.
Hi Thank you for posting the incredible work you do. To document all these beautiful abandoned buildings. I read with great interest as my family are from this area and I have walked these hills collecting sheep and exploring. I have a friend whom I think has a connection to Brwynnog. She is 93yrs old but of sound mind would it be of any benefit to your work if I past on your details?
ReplyDeleteAgain diolch
Oli.
Thank you so much! Yes, I would be really happy for you to pass on my details. I really want to know more from the people who know about these places. They're a generation who's disappearing, and I want to try to get these things down in a book.
DeleteA book is a great idea. Another good post thanks. Can I ask where you get your info about censuses etc? Is there a website?
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DeleteAh wow, thanks for that.
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