17 Gelli-deg

Cadw's description

Location

Situated to the N of Swansea Road some 200m NW of its roundabout junction with the A470. The site is some 400m W of the site of the Cyfarthfa blast furnaces.

History

Cottage in one of 2 rows of early industrial workers'' housing complete by 1797, and thus, although altered since, among the earliest surviving in the region. The site is some 400m W of the site of the Cyfarthfa blast furnaces, built 1765. Ty Issa farmhouse is mentioned in a lease of 1794 to Anthony Bacon of the ironworks and it was to this house that the cottages were added. Thomas James was paid £298/9/6d (£298.48) for new houses in Gelli-deg in 1797 but this may refer to the second row Nos 23-28 and Nos 15-21 could be earlier. It is suggested that No 15 is the pre-industrial farmhouse, perhaps mid C18 and that 6 industrial cottages were added in 2 stages. No 15 itself may be a composite of a single room cottage to right to which a larger house 2-storey 3-bay farmhouse was added (but the continuous rear stonework does not support this). The farmhouse was later subdivided into 2, the one-bay upper end with entry from the back becoming one cottage (now part of No 16). To this were added 3 one-room 2-storey cottages, now Nos 16 and 17 (No 17 now including No 18), internally of a single-room each floor, perhaps with a partitioned pantry to the rear, marked by small rear opening. Then a further 3 were added, now Nos 19 and 21, as 21 includes No 20, these had 2 small partitioned spaces at the back and thus 2 small rear windows. None of these houses had the typical catslide roofs over outshuts noted in Welsh industrial workers'' housing of the early C19, though the altered row Nos 23-28 did.
In 1930 it was said that No 15 had once been a public house.

Exterior

The first block of 3 cottages, now main part of No 16 and No 17 is painted rendered with slate roof and 2 stacks, one between Nos 16 and 17, the other at left end. Eaves and ridge line higher than earlier building to right. The cottages originally had one-window range, with small window under eaves, larger below and door to one side, first cottage (No 16) has door to left of windows, the other 2 had 2 doors paired, between windows, door to No 17 survives, door to the original No 18 (now part of No 17) now a window. Glazing is mostly C20 timber replacing sashes, C20 door. Rendered rear wall has 2 small square windows under eaves and inserted large ground floor windows to left and right.

Interior

Interior not available for inspection. In 1988 only No 16 in this row was inspected. It probably matched the original No 17 and 18, one-room plan probably with ladder or steep step access to upper room. Joisted floors, the joists axial, and ground floor flagstones.

Reason for designation

Listed as part of the oldest industrial workers'' housing surviving in the Merthyr area, which includes a range that predates the nearby Cyfarthfa ironworks.