Holly Cottage

Cadw's description

Location

Approximately 250m ENE of the parish church and fronting the road through the village.

History

A 2-unit cottage built c1700 with entry in the gable end. The house was part of the Merthyr Mawr Estate, which was purchased in 1804 by Sir John Nicholl. Nicholl enlarged the houses in the village in the 1820s and 1830s, often dividing them into 2 or more dwellings. At Holly Cottage a wing was added, the original doorway was probably blocked and new doorways were inserted to make 2 cottages, each with Tudor-Gothic detail. During the C20 the newer part of the house was the village Post Office, but the building is now a single dwelling.

Exterior

Cottage of 2 storeys, consisting of an early C18 house facing N with a stair projection on its R side, and with an early C19 wing to its R and projecting behind to form a L-plan. Of rubble stone, mostly painted white, and gabled thatch roof to original house, hipped thatch roof to wing. A central stone ridge stack is a C19 rebuild. The original house has an early C19 doorway L of centre in the N wall under projecting eaves, to R of which is a 2-light fixed-pane window with moulded surround and thin hood mould. Further R the wing has a 2-light casement in a similar early C19 surround with hood mould. In the R side wall the wing has a Tudor-headed doorway to the L and an inserted 4-light window to the R. The upper storey has two 2-light mullioned windows in moulded surrounds with hood moulds, and with inserted casements. In the L gable end the main house has a 2-light upper-storey casement in a moulded surround. The rear wall of the wing and main house have inserted casements.

Interior

The plan of the original house survives partially with gable end entry, altered fireplace and a stone fireplace stair.

Reason for designation

An estate cottage with earlier origins, and for group value with other listed items in Merthyr Mawr village and the Merthyr Mawr Estate.