Raising the Roof
A fundraising project at Treberfedd Farm to re-thatch a Grade II listed, last of it’s kind, Welsh vernacular farmhouse.
Play a part in restoring an important piece of Welsh heritage and receive a voucher to stay in this charming cottage.
We are inviting you to pledge support by buying vouchers for a future holiday in The Thatched Cottage at Treberfedd in Ceredigion, West Wales. For the money you donate, you will receive a voucher for the equivalent amount towards a holiday or short break.
Your donation will go towards the employment of a Welsh master thatcher to completely re-roof the cottage using traditional skills and Welsh harvested water reed. The master thatcher will also be teaching the time honoured traditional thatching skills to apprentices as he works.
Why is the original farmhouse at Treberfedd important?
The thatched cottage is a Grade II listed Georgian Farmhouse (one of the last of its kind!) and even features original authentic wall paintings from the 1700s.
It has been described by Cadw, who look after the historic buildings of Wales, as “an unusually complete late Georgian vernacular farmhouse, an extremely rare survival of this regional building type with its character retained. Well-preserved mid/late C19 additions, the whole a highly attractive group.”
Guests who come to stay here say it’s like stepping back in time.
The Thatched Cottage is a very important part of the history of our farm and because of this, we are very keen to continue to use natural & sustainable materials and traditional methods to re-thatch it back to its former glory.
Help to restore a piece of Welsh Heritage
“Each voucher bought will aid in the restoration of Welsh heritage & support traditional country skills, ensuring that this beautiful building will be preserved for generations to come” Farmer at Treberfedd, Jack Cockburn said.
The Thatched Cottage that stands at Treberfedd today was built sometime before or during the 1600s.
In 1802 the single storey cottage was extended and improved, creating a larger space with a beautifully modelled Georgian frontage, symmetrical chimneys and the same thatched roof that we have today.
It was listed Grade II in 1996 as an unusually complete Georgian Vernacular Farmhouse, an extremely rare survival of this regional building type with its character retained, probably one of the last of its kind.
Restoration work on the house in 2002 uncovered some wall paintings dating back to around 1650. The murals were painted using plant-derived pigments in a floral motif style which was very fashionable in the 17th century.
There are similar examples dating back to the same period on church walls in and around the South and East of England. The murals may well have been created by a travelling artist passing through Aeron’s Vale, who could be hired to paint the interior walls of people’s homes. The wall paintings are now a very rare survival, particularly in South West Wales.