Sail Cottage

Cadw's description

Location

Situated set below the street line, at the top of the hill to Lower Town, attached to No 21.

History

C18 sailmaker's house with sail-makingt loft, the blocked aperture to right of facade apparently the door through which the raw materials and finished sails were passed. Dates of 1780 and 1784 carved into roof trusses.

Exterior

Attached house, set well below No 21 to left, the ground floor well below modern road level. Stone rubble walls, with slate roof and rendered stack at right end. Long 2-and-a-half storey facade, with fenestration grouped closely around central doorway, leaving wide blank bays at each end of the facade. Two narrow 4-pane sash windows break eaves with gable over, 2 first floor former sash windows with C20 glazing, rendered voussoirs and rough dripstones, and ground floor similar window either side of central doorway, though set slightly further out than those on other 2 floors. C20 ledged door. Openings on ground floor also with dripstones over. On far right of facade with head at eaves level is a window-sized blocked-up opening, and a small illegible plaque below it.
At previous listing facade was colourwashed.

Interior

One fielded 4-panel ground floor door ground floor rooms with thin beams. Broad centre stair, in single flight splitting into 2 at landing. First floor 4-panel doors, and built in dresser with panelled doors, ogee heads to panels and dentil cornice. Ogee-moulded joists. Loft has 6 collar trusses with iron bolts to collars and double purlins. Incised dates I+G 1780 and IG 1784. and truss numbers IIII, V, VI, VII and VIII.

Reason for designation

Included as a very rare survival of a late C18 sailmakers house with loft.