The farmhouse at Benar dates from 1564, and once sat in hundreds of acres of its own land on the slopes of the Machno Valley. Benar was extended considerably in 1693, by the then owner, Robert Pugh.

In the 1850s the Chester to Holyhead railway was opened. Almost overnight, this part of North Wales became accessible to the growing populations of Liverpool and Manchester, and the supply of dairy produce. Benar, like many other farms in the area, took advantage of this opportunity, and began to expand. Milking parlours were built, and dairy farming became an important addition to the farm’s income.

Dairy farming was a labour-intensive business, and so Benar Bach was added to the farmhouse, to provide extra accommodation. The 1851 census shows that both the farmhouse and Benar Bach were occupied by many farm workers.

The picture here shows three of the cottages prior to conversion in 1993. They were converted from the original milking parlours built in the 1850s.