This substantial hall-house was built in about 1400, or perhaps before, on the side of a low hill in the Dee valley. Few houses of this age and type survive in Wales, and the quality of the work at Plas Uchaf is exceptional.

It was in the last stages of dereliction when we arrived here, but the oak frames of medieval houses are remarkably tough, particularly where they have been smoked for generations by the open hearth. Its repair was still possible, and well worthwhile.

The hall is surprisingly grand, with a spere truss, two other moulded trusses, traces of a louvre, and wind and ridge braces – a roof of sophisticated carpentry. In the sixteenth century an immense fireplace was added, which, to a degree, heats this grand space. The fire and the hall are the twin spirits of Plas Uchaf, and at night, with the wooden ribs of the hall moving a little in the firelight, you can imagine that you are Jonah inside the whale.

View our history sheet for this Landmark

Sleeps: 4