Mountain Ash

Location

Midway between St Melyd's church and the Melyd Arms public house.

History

A small cottage typical of miners' cottages which proliferated in this area in the C18 and C19 with the prosperity of the Talargoch works. It appears on the Tithe map (1839), when it may have been two cottages; it was enlarged in the C19 by the addition of a bay at the south end.

Exterior

Three-unit cottage facing north-west with an additional part at its south-west end. Part stonework but part brickwork from extensive earlier alterations, rendered and painted white, with a slate roof and tile ridge. The front slope of the original cottage is roofed in small courses, the rear slope and the whole of the later extension to the right is roofed in large slates, with a band of render covering the line in the front slope where the two sizes of slates meet. Stone chimney to left of centre of the original cottage also rendered and whitened and a lower similar chimney at centre of the extension. Door right of centre of original cottage with small modern porch; three notably small timber windows: those to left are four-pane casements, that to right of door is original with six panes of hand-made glass. Modern windows in extension at right and in the rear elevation.

Interior

The interior was in course of modernisation at time of the survey. The original part has a three-unit plan with a chimney serving the centre unit; the unit to right is of small size.

Reason for designation

A single-storey miner's cottage of traditional type which has retained its character.