The Trading Post

Cadw's description

Location

S part of a group of historic buildings between St John's Lane and St John's Square in the centre of Abergavenny.

History

This was in origin a c1600 continuous jetty house heightened and refronted in the late C18 (said to be c1780) or c1870 when the top floor was added, as with several houses opposite e.g. No. 25 (qv). It is said to have been built as the townhouse of the Vaughan family of Tretower Court in c1600 whose arms appear on the carved oriels, and it was remodelled as The Cow Temperance Inn, which is known to have been in use 1873-80. Since then it has been little altered externally apart from the left hand side of the shopfront which dates from the late C20, probably 1976 when the upper floors were converted as flats. The shopfront dates from 1979 and was designed by Hurley, Denby and Morgan.

Exterior

Stuccoed and painted front with a natural slate roof. Now with double depth central entrance plan (cf History). Three storeys, two bays. The ground floor has an early C19 type small paned shopfront, but only the right hand side, 3 x 4 panes, appears in late C19 photographs. The left hand 3 x 6 pane window is a later replacement, central double door. The first floor has carved wood oriel windows with three 4-pane casements. These windows have been heightened, but the cills and lintels date from c1600 and are carved with stylised animals, foliage and the Vaughan arms. The second floor, probably added in c1870, has three 2 over 2 pane sashes. At eaves level there are six modelled heads of cattle arranged 1 : 2 : 2 : 1 marking its time as The Cow Temperance Inn. Plain roof hardly visible from the street.
Rear elevation not inspected.

Interior

The ground floor shows clear evidence of the building's jettied origins, having a surviving jetty post on either side of the left hand half. This room has a 2 x 2 compartmented ceiling with triple roll-moulded beams; plain cross-beams in room to right. Both rooms now joined in one, but it may suggest that it was two houses to begin with. Early C19 stair with stick balusters and continuous handrail to rear. Upper floors not available at resurvey, but they are said to have been much modernised in their conversion to flats and they are now accessed from next door, No. 4B.

Reason for designation

Included for its special interest as a well preserved late C16 house which was altered in the early C19 with good character and which is a part of the most complete street of historic architecture in Abergavenny.