Garreg-llwyd is a traditional stone-built, slate-roofed, late-18th/early-19th century, single-storey cottage holding, shown on the 1845 tithe map as part of the Nanteos estate, which along with the former Corn-y-bwch now amounts to approx 5 acres.
It has an end-chimney, lobby-entry plan type, faces east, and is built parallel-to and under the hill, which shelters it from seaward winds. There are, stone-built and slate roofed additions at each gable-end, which were built before 1888, as shown existing on the first edition OS map. These include a parlour with fireplace and room-over at the north, and a cow-house formerly with two doorways at the south. By 1905 a detached, stone-built and slate-roofed cow-house and barn range had been built at right angles to the south-east. This was believed to have been rebuilt from the stone of Corn-y-bwch.
The cottage was improved ca 1980, when new windows replaced much smaller ones (owner's photos) and the cow-house was incorporated, by knocking through a doorway in the cross-wall and by blocking its original dooways. The cow-house floor was formerly cobbled. The cottage interior was originally open to the roof and divided by a cross partition, under one of two collar trusses, into an unheated former parlour /pantry and a kitchen with a large fireplace. A small window opening in the west wall of the parlour indicates the size of former windows now enlarged. There is evidence to indicate that the fireplace formerly had a wickerwork hood projecting out onto a lintel supported on the wall opposite the entry. This was altered in the late 19th century by inserting brick built units, which. provided a brick domed bread oven to left of a small fireplace and an iron framed cooking oven to right side. The west wall area to left of the fireplace is recessed, perhaps once for a cupboard or dresser and has a small window light and niche for salt. The kitchen formerly had a slab stone floor of poor quality which was removed.
The softwood roof trusses have pegged lap collars and similar at the apex. There are two pairs of side-purlins and a diagonally set ridge-purlin with common rafters and slates nailed. The kitchen fireplace chimney stack projects internally and is seated on a lintel supported on the top two purlins ,which is the typical method for the flue of wickerwork chimneys. The present chimney has been underbuilt in stone with a brick flue to the later brick fireplace. A scar of the wickerwork hood is visible in the loft gable-end wall (see photo & section for detail). There are two similar pairs of less straight collar roof- trusses over the cow-house part.
The later parlour has a gable-fireplace (blocked) and a room over, supported by a joist floor with a narrow gap for a ladder stair against the cross wall. The ground-floor was constructed of small branches, replaced by concrete when improved.
The detached cow-house/barn range of 3-bays was built after 1880 and before 1905, when it is first shown on the OS map. Said to have been built with stone from the ruins of Corn-y-bwch. It is sited on level ground with doorways to its north side and has a smaller pitched roof building with fireplace at its west end. At the east end is a single bay cow-house with loft over and a cobble floor. It has a lateral entry at the east end with cattle tied facing tethering posts under a softwood, bolted, tie-beam and collar roof-truss, which divides it from the barn. The barn is of two bays with a collar roof-truss and stone slab floor. The west end smaller building has a window to north and to west end and was probably built as a wash-house/feed preparation room.
Two large erratic stones are used as gate-posts at the north end of the cottage to a boundary wall running east from the added parlour. The parlour has been built around part of one.
Recorded, Geoff Ward, 25/06/2008.