29 Main Street

Cadw's description

Location

On the S side of Main Street some 125m E of its junction with Northgate Street.

History

Late C18 to early C19 town house, with two shops on ground floor. The left shop retains a late Georgian bowed shop window of quality, the upper windows have been altered in late C19. The house is said to be on the site of a cornmarket and town hall sold by the mayor and corporation in 1823 to John Whitton and converted to a house and shop. No other evidence found of a town hall on this site. After Whitton's death in 1827 the house went to his daughter, married to Thomas George wine and spirits merchant. He died in 1866 and was followed by his son Robert, mayor in 1879-82 and founder of George's Brewery on the old Custom House site on Westgate Hill (called the Cromwell Brewery). An engraving of 1893 shows the house with the George shop in left, but a Georgian sash window in place of present right shop window.
According to the plaques Robert George & Son wine merchants was founded in 1796, but presumably not at this address. The shop remained a wine and spirit shop through the merger of the firm with the Swansea Brewery in 1896 and the takeover of the Swansea Brewery by Hancocks Brewery in 1927. Currently used as photographic shop in left part, hairdressers to the right.
The Georgian bowed shop window is one of the best surviving in the region, with that on No 84 Main St.

Exterior

Terraced house with ground floor shops, painted stucco with brick dentilled eaves and imitation-slate roof with small brick stack to right. Three storeys, three-window range of 4-pane horned sashes to upper floors in raised shouldered architraves. Ground floor openings are not aligned: on left C20 glazed door into shop next to fine late C18 to early C19 bowed shop-window of 28 panes in casing of pilasters, fascia and cornice; door to right of centre in doorcase with moulded architrave flanked by thin panelled strips under consoles flanking frieze, and carrying cornice; finally a large C20 bowed shop-window of 16 panes in stucco surround. Six-panel C20 main door with overlight. The door is flanked by engraved stone plaques marked 'Robert George & Son Wine Merchants est 1796'. Cellar iron hatch in pavement.
Rear gabled SW range runs S with modern windows, lower section beyond with roof hipped to N, gabled S. Narrow house rear wall to right has some slate-hanging.

Interior

Main door gives access to house and shop to right. Good later C19 hardwood half-glazed 4-panel house door with turned column between arched panes, and tall overlight. Shop to right is in two rooms separated by a broad elliptical arch with reeded pilasters with small carvings of birds on capitals and reeded arch. Simple reeded cornices. Fielded panelled door into centre hall passage which has thin ceiling moulding. Sunk-panelled 6-panel door into rear E room. Hall arch, formerly with fanlight. Earlier C19 stair with square balusters, bulbous thin turned newels, scrolled tread ends and thin ramped rail. First floor and attic have 6-panel doors with sunk panels and similar panelled shutters. First floor W front room has cornice with undercut leaf moulding and scrolled ceiling border with rosettes. Centre acanthus rose in roundel surround. Glazed cupboard in former door from servants stair. First floor E front room, dining-room, has moulded ceiling border, chimneypiece moved from butler's pantry, cast-iron grate. Cupboard with double doors to right of fireplace, niche to left.
Shop to left has altered front room. Room behind with S end fireplace and wall cupboards. Cellar not inspected.

Reason for designation

Included as a late Georgian town house with good surviving shopfront and interior detail.