Plasdderwen

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in terraced row about midway between Castle Street and Bridge Street.

History

Terraced house probably mid C18 recorded in 1810-11 as 'late Bynon's' but by then owned by James Havard, maltster, died 1825, and then by his family. There was a malthouse behind accessed by a throughway now occupied by the single-bay former shop to the left. Sold before 1844 to Edward Richards, former licensee of the Kings Arms, High Street, and then the house and malthouse were separately tenanted. Owned in 1866 by Elizabeth Lewis and in later C19 by J Rhys Price, Income Tax Commissioner and ale and porter merchant, who died in 1892. It was then a girls' school kept by his daughter M E Price, later headmistress for 21 years of the County School, and she owned the house until her death in 1919.

Exterior

Terraced house of 3 bays and 3 storeys with slate gabled roof and new grey brick chimney stacks to left and right. Deep flat eaves. Painted lined stucco facade with long and short quoins to left and right, stone plinth. Hornless sash windows throughout: 6-pane to 2nd floor with blank (painted) central opening and 12-pane to main floors below, the centre one a dummy. Central fielded 6-panel door (with early door furniture) in panelled square-headed recess. Fine wide wooden doorcase with Greek triglyph and mutule entablature on slender fluted Tuscan columns.
Single bay low 2-storey section to left, with internal access to No 17. Slate gabled roof, bracketed shallow eaves, painted stucco first floor with 9-pane hornless sash window under eaves. Altered C19 small shop front below of single pane window to left and door to right with overlight boarded over. Shopfront has thin later C19 column shafts and spandrel brackets. Fashia covered by C20 boarding.

Interior

Interior not accessible but said to have original stair, cornices, arched recesses etc. There are dividing walls behind both upper centre windows. The downstairs front rooms are said to have arched recesses flanking the fireplace, but the C18 chimneypieces have gone. The staircase behind the left front room is said to be of oak.

Reason for designation

Included as a substantial C18 town house, among the best Georgian houses in the town. Part of a good group of Georgian buildings on High Street.