EV-0255 — Witness statement of Branwen: Cadw officers inspect the farmhouse, 1988 (given 19 Oct 2026)
| EV ID | EV-0255 |
|---|---|
| Title | Witness statement of Branwen: Cadw officers came into the house at Great House Farm in 1988, carried out a survey/report, and remarked on the roof beams being high |
| Date of document | 19 October 2026 (statement given); event 1988 |
| Type | witness statement |
| Evidence label | WITNESS STATEMENT (named witness: Branwen) |
| Witness | Branwen, who lived at Great House Farm until 1988 |
| Repository / reference | Statement given by Branwen to Sion Buckler on 19 October 2026; recorded by Sion Buckler. |
| Status | HELD — statement recorded 19 Oct 2026 |
| Date of the inspection | Not stated in the statement. SOURCE PENDING. Cadw’s two inspection photographs are dated 29 July 1988; a further Cadw visit was announced for the weekend of 3–4 December 1988; Cadw’s decision not to list was reported on 6 December 1988 (see below). |
| Related evidence | EV-0095 (Cadw farmhouse photograph, 29 Jul 1988) · EV-0094 (Cadw barn photograph, 29 Jul 1988) · Cadw M12, M23, M33 · GHF-E090-N08, GHF-E090-N10 · GHF-E152 · Archaeology: 1988 Cadw listing consideration |
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Statement
Branwen gave this statement to Sion Buckler on 19 October 2026. Officers of Cadw came into the house at Great House Farm in 1988 and carried out a survey and report. They remarked on the roof beams being high.
What Cadw has said about its 1988 inspection
- 21 May 2026, Cadw Casework Team Leader (M12): “I can confirm they were assessed and rejected for listing in the 1988 community survey of Llandough. I have attached two photos, dated 29 July 1988. The “YYY” marking on the rear of the photo indicates that the buildings were considered marginally below the bar for listing. … I note the SW Echo report suggesting that Cadw inspectors would visit again in December 1988, but I can find no record (as-yet) of this.”
- 11 June 2026, ATISN 27021 (M23): “the house was visited and assessed for listing by Cadw inspectors and did not meet the listing criteria. As such, the only record of the inspection we hold are the two photographs enclosed.” Annex A: “Great House Farm inspection photo – dated 29/07/1988”; “Barn at Great House Farm inspection photo – dated 29/07/1988” (EV-0095, EV-0094).
- 2 July 2026, ATISN 27021 internal review: “The Records Department advised that with documentation dating back to 1988, it is possible that the file was destroyed before it was ever updated on our electronic filing system. There is also no evidence that any relevant files have been transferred to the RCAHMW.”
- 10 July 2026, ATISN 27021 review follow-up (M33): “The photographs are dated 29/07/1988 and would have been taken as part of the listing assessment. The practice was to keep all photographs separate from the official file in a cabinet. No official file containing additional information has been located … No destruction record exists.”
- 19 October 2026, ATISN 27589: the request for July–December 1988 listing, spot-listing and inspection records was refused under FOIA s.14(2) as substantially similar to ATISN 27021.
Position: Cadw has confirmed in writing that the house was visited and assessed for listing by its inspectors, and has dated that assessment to 29 July 1988 by its two photographs. Cadw has not stated the officers, has produced no survey or report beyond the two photographs, and has neither confirmed nor denied the December 1988 visit (“no record (as-yet)”, 21 May 2026).
Date of the inspection — the record
- 29 July 1988 (Friday): date on both Cadw inspection photographs, part of “the 1988 community survey of Llandough” (Cadw, 21 May and 11 June 2026; EV-0095, EV-0094).
- 30 November 1988: possession obtained; bailiffs enter the farmhouse.
- 3 December 1988 (Saturday): South Wales Echo, “History fight to save farm” (GHF-E090-N08): the farmhouse “will be visited by historic buildings inspectors this weekend”; a Cadw spokeswoman “confirmed they were considering ‘spot-listing’ the farmhouse”: “An inspector has been taken off another case to look at this and we are trying to move as quickly as possible. … He will be paying a visit to the farmhouse, look at any records of the history of the area and discuss it with the Royal Commission for Ancient and Historical Monuments.”
- 5 December 1988 (Monday): Cadw decides to take no action. Western Mail, 6 December 1988, “Farmer fails in final eviction hearing” (GHF-E090-N10): “the Welsh historic monuments organisation decided to take no action … A spokesperson there told the Western Mail the house was not of sufficient architectural merit and the land on which it stands was not of sufficient archaeological interest.”
- 6 December 1988: the farmhouse is demolished from just after 4am.
Our case (prospective): the inspection Branwen describes took place in the days before Cadw’s decision of 5 December 1988 not to spot-list the house, the window announced for it being Saturday 3 – Monday 5 December 1988. The exact date is SOURCE PENDING: Cadw has not stated it in words, and whether the 29 July 1988 survey and the December 1988 visit were one inspection or two is an open question to Cadw.
The roof beams
The roof space of the farmhouse is shown in an undated photograph in the Wayback archive, Great House Farm Part 1, no. 080: the roof (loft) beams referred to. The RCAHMW measured plan of the farmhouse by H. J. Thomas (dated 26 April 1974 and 12 December 1988) carries a beam key (Press Archive, rundown item 11; Archaeology).
Questions for Cadw / Welsh Government
Queued in the question ledger (not yet sent): the date, the officers by role, the notes, survey or report, the photographs and the file reference of each 1988 Cadw inspection of the house, including the December 1988 visit, and how the inspection fed the 5 December 1988 decision not to spot-list; and, if no longer held, the retention and destruction records. To be asked after ATISN 26-0009 (due 6 November 2026) and the Welsh Government reply on ATISN 27589 (due 16 November 2026), so that nothing pending is repeated.
Our case. Not a finding of any court. Catalogued by Tab (for Sion Buckler), 20 Oct 2026.
Page version & change log
Current version: 1.0.0
| Version | Date (UTC) | Editor (human or agent name) | Change | Source / evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0.0 | 2026-10-20T00:36Z | Tab (for Sion Buckler) | Page created: Branwen’s witness statement of 19 Oct 2026 on Cadw’s 1988 inspection, with Cadw’s written replies and the dated 1988 record. | Sion Buckler’s instruction, 20 Oct 2026 01:29 BST; ATISN 27021 (11 Jun and 2 Jul 2026); Cadw M12, M33; ATISN 27589; GHF-E090-N08, N10 |
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