Hafotty


Hafotty, Llansadwrn, Anglesey, Wales is a medieval hall house dating from the mid 14th century. Described in the Gwynedd Pevsner as "one of Anglesey's classic small medieval houses", Hafotty is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.

History

The original house at Hafotty was built of wood. This house is recorded as "Bodiordderch". Anthony Emery dates this wooden house to the second quarter of the 14th century. By 1535, the house was in the possession of Henry Norris, Constable of Beaumaris Castle. By the 16th century, Hafotty had passed to the Bulkeleys, another prominent North Wales family, and had acquired its present name, meaning summer house, or summer dairy. Cadw records extensions to the house in the 16th century, and its re-casing in stone in the 17th. By the 20th century, Hafotty was in a state of some dereliction, but was restored in the 1970s and again in the early 21st century. The house remains in the possession of the Bulkeleys, although under the care of Cadw, and is occasionally open to the public.

Architecture and description

The Gwynedd Pevsner considers Hafotty "one of Anglesey's classic small medieval houses". Peter Smith, in his Houses of the Welsh Countryside, categorises it as a three-unit hall house and notes that, despite its "relatively modest" size, it was still a "house of status". Built to an H-plan, and constructed of rubble masonry, it is of two-storeys. The interior contains some notable medieval fittings, including fireplaces and window surrounds. Hafotty is a Grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.

Footnotes