Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Electricity Power House, C Row (NW Side)
Blaenavon, Torfaen, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II
- Broad class
- Domestic
- Date of designation
- 9 February 1995
- Locality
- Forge Side
- Community
- Blaenavon
- Unitary authority
- Torfaen
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 51.77107, -3.09893
- Cadw reference
- 15301
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
Situated to the west of Forge Side residential area, overlooking the steel works.
History
Built around 1920 and remembered by locals as an electricity current conversion station. Architecturally very similar to a pair of locomotive sheds [now demolished] built near the site in 1917.
Exterior
Large, single storey, rectangular building in red brick. The main gable facade has three bays and the return elevation has nine bays. The symmetrical gable has a wide central semi-circular arched doorway, flanked by two tall semi-circular arched windows, with stone sills. Iron glazing bars are still present, but the openings have been in-filled with brick. An ocular window at the top of the gable wall is blind with small diamond shaped opening at its centre. End pilaster strips are continued as stepped decorative verges. The return elevation has eight identical semi-circular arched windows, all bricked in. Ninth window is blocked, with inserted doorway. Iron tie bars between the windows. Brick eaves cornice.
Interior
The floor level is split, being higher at the west end. The long walls have brick in-fill to their arches, into which iron girders have been fixed for an overhead gantry. The roof structure has narrow iron trusses.
Reason for designation
Included for its special interest as an early power generation building associated with the local industry and as part of the Forge Side Ironworks complex.
Nearby in the register
- Coity House (Doncasters Ltd)Domesticunder 1 mi
- Zion Baptist ChurchReligious, Ritual and Funeraryunder 1 mi
- Saw MillIndustrialunder 1 mi
- Pit Head Building, Headframe and Tram CircuitIndustrialunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.