Cottage Row (Rhyderonnen)

Cadw's description

Location

In centre of hamlet by roadside with gardens opposite on bank of Afon Dulais.

History

Rhyderonnen was given as a marriage settlement in 1807 when it consisted of "land, 2 cottages and common grazing". The terrace postdates this period, but was built before 1839 when the whole terrace is shown on the Tithe map. The inn has flourished since at least 1841, when David Evans was its tenant.

Exterior

Fine long early C19 terrace comprising of (from right to left): Inn; post office; 2 cottages and a small stable. The joints visible between inn and post office indicates that the inn is slightly earlier. 2-storey rubble-built colourwash terrace. Slate roof, rubble stacks with coursed stone tabling and drips. 3-window offset front to inn, Victorian tall narrow horned sashes (3-pane over 2); vertical glazing bars only. Cambered heads with stone voussoirs and stone sills. Similar head to boarded central door.

Later lean to extension to right with boarded door and 6-pane steel window above. Sash to return elevation as front of inn, brick reveals and head. Rest of terrace consists of a 7-window range to left of inn with roundarched heads to ground floor openings; stone voussoirs, blank tympana. Ground floor window of post office with wooden shutters, 4-pane horned sash. Ground floor windows of cottages are 3 over 2 pane sashes (horned). Boarded doors with steps. Upper windows with cambered heads; stone voussoirs, alternatingly blind. Original 12-pane hornless sash to first floor of shop, the rest are Victorian sashes as below. Stone sills. G.R post box towards left end.

Lower 2-storey hayloft and stable to left end.Rubble rear with appropriate recent lean-tos of rubble and corrugated iron.Tiny ground floor casement to inn. Raised doorway to post office with wooden steps. Stone voussoired cambered head, boarded door. 4-pane casements to both floors of post office, the upper with head as door, stone lintel to other. Similar window to stable with stone sill and lintel.

Low whitewashed rubble walls across lane with mounting-block, gardens behind. Rubble whitewashed double toilet in SE corner of garden with single-slope corrugated roof. This belonged to the former schoolroom (village hall) opposite,its long fore-walls dividing the sexes. Single toilet to S, similarly built with slate roof.

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Reason for designation

Purchased by the National Trust in 1991. Fully restored and reopened October
1994.

An unexpectedly fine and rare group