The now roofless Argoed Farmstead lies in the Afan Argoed Country Park.
Argoed farm is a ruinous 16/17th century farmstead, that has been part excavated and conserved as a ruin. An account by Rice Merrick 1578 refers to ?Argoed Afan sometime the house of Owen ab Ieuan ab Owen?. The present house retains some early features such as the semi-circular arch voussoir openings over the hall entrance, which may indicate this is the building mentioned.
The main domestic range, consists of a stone -built, 1?-storey range, of three units with hearth -passage entry into the north-east parlour. There is a central hall, and a narrow parlour at the south-west end. The original doorway and the hall doorway, both have draw-bar holes to secure the doors. A later inserted lobby-entry position doorway gave direct access to the hall. It has a stone-slab floor and its large fireplace has a chamfered timber lintel with curved fillet stop. To the left side of the fireplace is a bread oven situated under a winding stone stair to former chambers above. In the 18th century a farm range for cattle was added at right-angles to the north-east end, and the end room was converted to a kitchen with a large fireplace and bread-oven. The farm range has stone-slab and pitched-stone flooring internally and a pitched-stone external path along the north-east wall.
Ref. Rice Merrick, Morganiae Archaiographia, in A book of Antiquities of Glamorganshire, edited by Brian Ll James, South Wales Record Society, Volume 1, 1983.
Geoff Ward, 16/10/2008