12 High Street

Cadw's description

Location

Situated at end of short terraced row just W of Lloyds Bank.

History

Early C19 3-storey house of 3 bays with unusual projecting early Victorian shop with original fluted Doric columns at corners. Named as Penygawse in late C18 when owned by John Richards (died 1803), passed to his son-in-law John Jones (died 1830) grocer and draper, and continued as general grocers, drapers and ironmonger by Rees Jones to 1852, then John James, probably his son-in-law, to 1880. The family also owned Nos 9, 11 and 22 (Curriers' Hall) at various times and No 11 opposite was used as a shop in association with No 12. In 1882-4 James bought further property from the sales of the Llwynywormwood and Saunders-Davies estates including Nos 2-10 High Street adjoining, the common ironwork on Nos 8-12 may date from after this. Morgan Griffiths, milliner, took over Penygawse from 1880 into early C20, also using No 11, and old photographs show the house with 'Mantle and millinery rooms' painted across the front. A butcher's shop in later C20 to 2003.

Exterior

End of terrace house of 3 bays and 3 storeys with slate gabled roof without chimneys. Close eaves and moulded eaves board. Painted roughcast facade with long and short stucco quoins to left and right. Upper floors have horned sashes with marginal glazing. Probably original waisted rainwater heads each side.
Ground floor shop extends far forward with flat roof and deep moulded cornice overhanging top of corrugated-iron tent-roofed canopy on four cast-iron columns with florid capitals.
Shopfront is of later C19 date but flanked by fluted Greek Doric timber half-columns presumably of earlier C19 date. Recessed centre glazed door with overlight flanked by canted plate glass windows while front has similar 3-light plate-glass windows each side, the panes with curved upper angles and thin dividing shafts. In front and supporting the soffit of the main cornice are 4 reeded and garlanded thin cast-iron columns carrying big concave cast-iron brackets with globe pendants (a fifth bracket to left). Boarded double door to left of shopfront.
Blank roughcast right hand return.
Former decorative metal fringes to shopfront roof (matching those on Nos 8 and 10) and at edge of canopy have been lost.

Interior

Shop interior altered, plain cast iron columns visible within on line of original front wall. House interior not inspected.

Reason for designation

Included as an early C19 house with attached shop of unusually fine character.