Rhydlewis Stores and Post Office

Cadw's description

Location

Situated in centre of Rhydlewis, on E side of junction.

History

Probably early C20, corrugated-iron group of buildings, comprising shop with store-room above, Post Office to left, with barn or store behind. It is said to have been a saddlers before becoming a general store.

Exterior

Dark red painted horizontally-laid corrugated iron with some timber boarding. Corrugated iron roofs. Two-storey shop to right with gablets to hipped roof, a single fixed 8-pane horizontal window to first floor centre. Ground floor shop front set to left under a curved corrugated-iron awning. Awning has corrugated-iron end-pieces with decoratively-cut lower edge. Shop front has ledged outer door to left and three big plate-glass panes to right, over corrugated-iron. Half-glazed inner door. Simple timber pilasters to each side, up to awning. S end wall is also corrugated-iron with two ground floor 6-pane casements and one small 4-pane casement under eaves. Rear rendered lean-to block, extended to rear.
Post Office, set back to right, is a lower, gable-fronted, range with horizontally-boarded gable, corrugated iron awning, as on Stores, over small canted bay window on rendered base. Casement-pair window inside bay. Door to right, corrugated-iron cladding each side and George VI letter-box inset to left. Corrugated iron N side with two windows. Behind Post Office is hoop-topped short barn, corrugated iron clad.

Interior

Stores interior is boarded with timber shelving and open-tread stair up to loft floor.

Reason for designation

Included as a rare and very complete example of corrugated iron village shop, complete with awnings, shop-window and some interior details.