30 North Street

Cadw's description

Location

On the south side of North Street.

History

The western end of North Street up to No 20 and Imble and Hill Street had been laid out as a suburb of workers housing south of High Street from the late 1840’s and are shown on the 1st ed. OS map (surveyed in 1862). The eastern end was completed by 1906 when the 2nd edition was published and by which time it had been renamed Owen Street. It is now known as North Street again.

The original lease was granted for the construction of No 30 in August 1864 by Thomas Meyrick Esq of the Bush Estate to Thomas Evans Rees a Shipwright of Pembroke Dock. The first tenant was Thomas Rodgers who occupied the house on a 60 year lease, named as a 17 year old shipwright in the 1861 census and was still living at No 30 at the time of the 1911 census. James Robert Treherne was the second tenant from Ladyday (25th March) 1924 to 1945, with Alice Treherne taking on the tenancy in 1945 on a 50 year basis and eventually buying the house and garden from the estate.

No 30 was furnished at some expense and retains good quality late C19 detailing in each room. This is unexpected of a building of such scale and status but is indicative of the effort and care put into its construction, possibly reflecting the trades of the original builder and owner. The front elevation of No 30 has been roughcast at some point in the mid C20, presumably replacing smooth render, and low double garages have been added to its right hand side but otherwise it survives as one of the few unaltered single storey workers housing in the area.

Exterior

Cottage, single storey two bay end of terrace. Roughcast with plain plinth, slate roof, gable stack. 4 light sashes with margin glazing and projecting cills. Central door with 3 moulded panels, lower panel raised and fielded with wide margin and central incised panel; plain overlight. Gable with mid C20 cement rendered garages attached (not of special interest). To rear central hipped wing (contains kitchen), 12 light sash at gable end, 2 sash windows to main cottage either side. Rear door (replacement) from left hand side of kitchen wing, store and wc extensions added to side. To right of kitchen wing lower lean-to store extension infilling gap with next door.

Interior

Interior survives largely intact and retains significant amounts of quality original fittings in classical style with discreet distinctions between rooms. 2 room double depth plan with central hallway extending all the way through to rear kitchen wing.

Deep 2-tier skirtings to front rooms and hall, beaded skirtings to rear room. 4-panel doors with mouldings with deep architrave surrounds. Deep cornice to front part of hall up to a three centred arch with engaged pilasters. Plain beyond. Built in cupboards to the side of fireplaces, front right with moulded circular heads with pilasters and dado cupboard and shelf, open above. Removed front left, narrow single cupboards to rear rooms. Shutters to front rooms, plain fireplace surrounds, replaced front right and removed rear right.

Reason for designation

Included for its special architectural interest as a particularly well preserved late C19 workers dwelling, simple in form and layout but retaining a high degree of original internal detail and fittings. It is representative of a distinctive regional building type, once common in south west Wales but now increasingly rare.