Ty Carwyn, including forecourt railings

Cadw's description

Location

Situated just W of the Public Library, on corner to car park.

History

Town house built c.1817 as Forest House, with railings added in the late C19 (similar to those at Penllwyn Park of 1890s) or early C20. Originally built for John Lloyd of Dale Castle, Pembs., marked on 1834 map. Later the Forest Arms inn, and Jeremy's Commercial Hotel, owned in 1926 by T. Jeremy. Subsequently used as a Register Office for many years and Dyfed Library office, windows replaced and other alterations done in 1980. Offices of the Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services in 2002.
Gate and railings marked as made by William Isaac of Carmarthen.

Exterior

Former town house, now offices, painted stucco with slate hipped roof. Three storey, 3-window range with full-height projecting bowed centre. Timber modillion cornice renewed in late C20. Symmetrical front with 4-pane horned sashes to first floor left and both outer windows of second floor. Second floor centre and first floor right windows are blank, first floor centre has Palladian tripartite sash with 4-12-4-pane glazing and blind arch over centre light. All windows renewed in later C20, the middle sashes curved. Same window to ground floor centre. Tall arched blank recess to right answering left side similar arch with C20 4-panel door, with 3 stone steps, and fanlight with radiating bars. Cast iron rainwater goods.
Right end has 2 large rendered stacks flanking tall, narrow, small-paned timber sash stair-light, arched-headed with interlacing glazing bars to head, and stone sill. Projecting rendered masonry block to full height to left, projecting out as pier on right side of main front, possibly a relic of a demolished building. To left of stair window is stepped buttress, also roughcast rendered. Stone coped plinth, stepped down towards rear.
Rendered rear wall with double 4-pane sash to first floor centre with continuous stone sill. Two 4-pane timber sashes, more widely spaced, to upper storey.
Dwarf front wall in stucco with stone coping carrying cast iron rail similar to those at Penllwyn Park. Uprights with rounded spearhead finials supporting 2 continuous horizontal bars. Alternating low, similar vertical bars with spearheads between horizontals. Elaborate Gothic scrollwork flanking each head, and also flanking low intermediate spearheads.

Interior

Staircase with stick balusters. Treads concealed. Six-panelled doors to first floor, remainder replaced in later C20. Ground floor hallway has decorative stucco arches with scrolled corbels to arch-springs.

Reason for designation

Included despite alterations as a good and unusual formal town house design of the early C19.