53 Clwyd Street

Cadw's description

Location

Located towards the lower end of the street, opposite the former gaol.

History

A late C17 gable-fronted timber-framed town-house with lateral stack. Remodelled in the late C19, when a projecting gabled bay was added to the front, probably for a shop, in a timber-framed revival style. It is said to have been a salt shop at one time.

Exterior

Gable-fronted house, with 3-unit plan, including gabled bay to street, rebuilt and perhaps extended in the C19. This bay is separately roofed, with a slightly steeper roof-line than the earlier section of the building to the rear. Rendered with slate roofs, brick lateral stack in earlier range at rear; C19 timber detail to C19 front block. Gable facing street is wholly C19: dooray to left with boarded, studded and ribbed door with Tudor-arched head; 3-light leaded window to right. Jettied upper storey has long 4-light mullioned and leaded window at centre, and timber-framing with quatrefoil panels beneath the window, chevrons either side of king-post in gable. Deep eaves with barge-boards and apex finial. Timber-framed detail continues in upper storey of lower (west) return elevation, where there modern windows flank the lateral chimney stack. In the upper (east) return elevation, a fixed small-pane window (C21) in the C19 front block; beyond it, the wall of the original range is slightly battered, and contains C20 doorway (in original position?), flanked by small uPVC windows. At far left is a timber 8-pane window, and cellar doorway to right. Brick outbuilding at rear.

Interior

Entrance in E side leads into a large living room to R, with kitchen to L, within the original building. The living room has ceiling with medium-chamfered spine-beam; cross-angle fireplace to SW corner, no longer in use. Quarter-turn staircase immediately R of entrance, probably not in its original position. The original front wall may have been aligned with the adjacent building (No 51); there is a beam supported by a large stone corbel on E side on this alignment; slightly inset from this, is an inserted timber post. The front bay includes a small fireplace to W side, blocked to exterior. Kitchen has 2 small boxed-in spine-beams, and had a cross-angle fireplace to NW, now infilled. Outbuilding to L in separate ownership. Upper storey not seen, but a previous survey recorded a closed tie-beam truss to N, the truss to S missing.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special interest as a gable-fronted late-C17 town-house retaining much of its plan-form and character, notwithstanding loss of detail. Group value with surrounding listed buildings in Clwyd Street.