Tŷ Mawr

Tŷ Mawr is a Grade I-listed timber-framed house in the township of Trefnant, within the historic parish of Castle Caereinion in Montgomeryshire, Wales. It stands on a stone platform built into a hillside, beneath a broad half-hipped roof. The house was originally occupied by the Lloyd family, descendants of Alo ap Rhiwallon, who settled in the area in the 13th century. Rediscovered in 1971, it was later restored to its late 17th-century appearance between 1997 and 1998. The restoration earned the RICS ‘Building of the Year’ award in 2000. The house’s significance lies in its well-documented history and architectural importance. Dendrochronological dating in 1997 revealed that the principal timbers were felled in 1460, while later modifications date to 1594 and 1631. Archaeological excavations in 1979 and 1997 confirmed it as a Welsh longhouse with a cattle byre at one end. The restoration preserved key features such as the timber-framed smoke-hood and the three-unit plan of the original layout. Visitors find a limewashed box-framed house with four bays, its internal structure marked by chamfered wooden posts and arch-braced base-crucks. The open aisled hall retains its historic trusses and wind-braces, while the surrounding landscape includes early fruit trees in hedgerows. The house’s setting on the hillside offers views over the township of Trefnant, reflecting its long-standing place in the region’s history.