Ton Farmhouse, Llangybi, Monmouthshire is a farmhouse dating from the early 17th century. John Newman, in his Monmouthshire Pevsner, describes it as a "perfect Monmouthshire farmhouse". Ton is a Grade II* listed building, its listing noting that it is a "remarkably good survival" of a prosperous 17th century Welsh farmhouse.
| Ton Farmhouse | |
|---|---|
 "a perfect Monmouthshire farmhouse" | |
| Type | Farmhouse |
| Location | Llangybi, Monmouthshire |
| Coordinates | 51°39′28″N 2°55′10″W / 51.6577°N 2.9194°W |
| Built | early 17th century |
| Architectural style(s) | Vernacular |
| Governing body | Privately owned |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | Ton Farmhouse |
| Designated | 4 March 1952 |
| Reference no. | 2686 |
  Location of Ton Farmhouse in Monmouthshire | |
History and description
editSir Joseph Bradney records the site of the farmhouse as Ton-y-beddau, which he translates as "the glade of the graves" and refers to a "vague tradition of a battle and the burying of corpses".[1] His multi-volume study, A History of Monmouthshire from the Coming of the Normans into Wales down to the Present Time, also provides a lengthy pedigree of the owners of the surrounding lands.[2] Cadw dates the construction of Ton Farm to the early 17th century.[3] The farmhouse was "greatly enlarged" in 1663,[3] with an inscribed datestone recording the date.[4] In the 1895 Monmouthshire edition of Kelly's Directory, the farm is noted as being under the management of John Griffiths, farmer.[5] Ton remains a privately owned house and is a Grade II* listed building.[3] The architectural historian John Newman describes it as a "perfect Monmouthshire farmhouse".[4]
The farm is of two-storeys, built in whitewashed old red sandstone rubble. The roofs are of Welsh slate.[3] Most of the windows were replaced in the 19th century but the house has been "little altered" since this date.[3] Sir Cyril Fox and Lord Raglan include a plan of Ton in the third volume, Renaissance Houses, c. 1590–1714, of their three-volume study of the vernacular architecture of the county, Monmouthshire Houses. Their plan shows the three-room ground-floor layout of the house after the 1663 alterations, with the hall and parlour divided by a cross-passage, and a pantry to the rear of the hall.[6] The plan includes illustrations of the elaborate joinery in the parlour,[6] a feature also noted by Cadw.[3] A line drawing of a section of moulding from the house is given in Peter Smith's Houses of the Welsh Countryside.[7]
Notes
edit- ^ Bradney 1993, p. 105.
- ^ Bradney 1993, pp. 105–108.
- ^ a b c d e f Cadw. "Ton Farmhouse (Grade II*) (2686)". National Historic Assets of Wales. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- ^ a b Newman 2000, p. 314.
- ^ "Llangibby / Llangybi (Monmouthshire) – Extract from Kelly's Directory, 1895". places.wishful-thinking.org.uk.
- ^ a b Fox & Raglan 1994, p. 90.
- ^ Smith 1975, p. 309.
Sources
edit- Bradney, Joseph Alfred (1993) [1921]. The Hundred of Usk, first part. A History of Monmouthshire from the Coming of the Normans into Wales down to the Present Time Volume 3, Part 1. London: Academy Books. ISBN 9781873361177. OCLC 896118895.
- Fox, Cyril; Raglan, Lord (1994) [1954]. Renaissance Houses, c. 1590–1714. Monmouthshire Houses. Vol. 3. Cardiff: Merton Priory Press Ltd & The National Museum of Wales. ISBN 1898937001. OCLC 776066469.
- Newman, John (2000). Gwent/Monmouthshire. The Buildings of Wales. London: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-071053-1.
- Smith, Peter (1975). Houses of the Welsh Countryside. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. ISBN 0-11-700475-8. OCLC 868639211.