Ynysfach Engine House CF48 1AB

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Ynysfach Engine House

CF48 1AB

This beautifully restored building once housed the beam engine for the blast furnaces of the Ynysfach Ironworks. Built in the early nineteenth century as part of the Crawshay's famous "Iron Kingdom".

Grade II* Listed

History
Engine House, built in 1836 for the adjacent furnaces of Ynysfach Ironworks, a subsidiary of the successful Cyfartha works owned by the Crawshay family. The Ynysfach Ironworks were founded in 1801 when 2 blast furnaces were built to plans by Watkin George, engineer and foundry manager at Cyfarthfa from 1792. In 1836 2 more furnaces were built together with the engine house which replaced an earlier one painted by Penry Williams c1815. The new engine house contained a beam blowing engine made at the Neath Abbey Ironworks. The Ynysfach works closed in 1874 and the engine house fell into disuse. It was restored between 1986 and 1989 and converted to a heritage centre and offices. The building was formerly part of the scheduled ancient monument Gm 331, which was revised to exclude the building following its conversion to a heritage centre and offices. The heritage centre was closed at the time of survey (2002).

Description
Exterior
Blast engine house, 4-storey rectangular building of dressed blue Pennant sandstone with white-ashlared
limestone quoins and dressings and hipped slate roof with deep eaves, in the house-style of the Crawshay
ironworks. Windows have segmental heads with deep voussoirs and dressings, and small-paned replaced sash windows. N elevation has the main entrance through a round-headed arch approached by a modern stair, and one window above. The principal facade, to the E, is 4 bays long with equally spaced windows on 3 storeys, a semibasement with round-headed arches, and cast iron brackets at the N end. The S end, facing the furnaces, has no windows. The W elevation has 6 irregularly spaced windows, cast-iron fittings, and a tall blocked archway at the S end.

Interior
Not accessible. Said to have new floors and partitions inserted, the bob wall for the beam engine passing through the centre of the building, and cast iron brackets for the engine''''s supporting structure and components visible in many places.

Scheduled Ancient Monument - ref 33724

RCAHMW Schedule

Stationary engine house, 4 storeys, roofless. Now in use as a museum.

Williamstown CF47 8PD

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Williamstown

CF47 8PD

Nos 23 - 30 - Grade II Listed

Stepped terrace of industrial housing set into hillside below Brecon Road; facing SW over River Taff towards site of former Cyfarthfa Ironworks.

History
Built between 1836 and 1851.

Description
Exterior
2-storey rubble fronts, right hand house and middle three rendered. Slate roofs (No 24 modern pantiles), brick stacks (some rendered). Two windows per house, original cambered openings with plain raised surrounds to Nos 23, 24 and three left-hand houses. Sash windows remain to No 23 and left-hand group only, small-pane glazing to No 28. Wide later margins to openings of rendered houses. Central doorways, mostly altered.

Interior
Interiors planned with turning stone stairs flanking chimney-breast in thick party walls.

The plaque reads:

Williamstown Both terraces were erected between 1836 and 1851 for skilled ironworkers employed at the Cyfarthfa works. They are named after ironmaster William Crawshay II.

Wesley Chapel CF47 8UL

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Wesley Chapel

CF47 8UL

The English Wesleyan was originally built in 1797 and was rebuilt in 1862. The prohibitive cost of repairs led to the chapels closure in 1979.

Grade II Listed

Description
Exterior

1862 date. Imposing 3-bay late classical facade with central pedimented and pilastered bay. Channelled rustication to ashlar ground-floor, cement render above (some detailing simplified). Frieze inscribed "WESLEY CHAPEL". Pilastered, 3-light, stepped centre window with moulded architraves and frond lunettes, marginal glazing-bars. Scallop-shell lunettes over arched ground-floor windows with aprons. Double centre doors under radiating fanlight. Rubble flank elevation with brickwork dressings, slate roof.

Interior

Interior recently subdivided.

War Memorial, Pontmorlais CF47 8UN

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War Memorial, Pontmorlais

CF47 8UN

Erected in 1930 and signed by L. S. Merrifield; Cast by A. B. Burton of Thames Ditton.

The memorial consists of three magnificent bronze figures; Fate, in the centre with a covered head and spindle in hand, and below, a miner and a mother.

Grade II Listed

History
ca 1930. Bronze figures by L S Merrifield, 1931; cast by A B Burton, founder of Thames Ditton.

Description
Tall Portland stone niche with moulded arched capping, tapering sides and stepped plinth with flanking pedestals. Central bronze, mythological figure of one of the Three Fates bearing (or measuring) the Web of Life. War trophy to swagged pedestal. To sides are standing figures of a miner and a female carrying a child.

Arrangement of curved flight of steps leads down to ca 1930 bronze guardrail with classical torch motif.
Ironwork urns on front wall.

Vulcan House CF47 8LR

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Vulcan House

CF47 8LR

Grade II Listed

History
Vulcan House was built c1820-30, and is shown on a map of Merthyr Tydfil of 1836. Probably during the 1830s, David John, a blacksmith, mathematician and Unitarian minister, established a foundry there, and it is even possible that the house was built for him: the design, with few windows in the rear wall, is consistent with combined domestic/industrial premises. David John came from St Clears, but was in Merthyr by 1826, when he became minister of the Unitarian church at Twynyrodyn. He was a political radical who espoused the cause of parliamentary reform in the 1830s and was chairman of Merthyr Political Union in 1832. His sons were also reformists and the Johns were key figures in the first generation of Chartist leadership in Merthyr. Matthew John, who worked the foundry at Vulcan House until his death in 1888, was a prominent radical, and had been deputed to take the rioters terms to the garrison at Penydarren House during the Merthyr rising of 1831.

Some alterations and additions to the premises were made c1900, including addition of rear wing to house, and further alterations to foundry wing were made during the C20.

The premises were latterly used as a council depot but were disused and derelict on inspection in July 2006.

Description
Large house in late Georgian style, with long wing attached to rear formerly providing industrial premises. House is rubble-built with brick dressings, but rendered to main elevations. Hipped slate roof with tiled cresting (most slates missing in July 2006). Single brick chimney stack at rear. 3 storeyed, with 5-bay elevation to the street. This is articulated by pilaster strips at angles and raised string-courses to upper storeys. Façade is symmetrically arranged, with wider openings giving emphasis to the central three bays. Central entrance in wide segmentally arched opening with stressed architrave and keystone: this originally contained doorway with flanking side-lights surmounted by radial fanlight, but was blocked on inspection in 2006. Wide flanking windows with shallow arched heads (formerly tripartite sashes with small panes), matched by the three central windows on the first floor. Three semi-circular windows in upper storey (formerly with 4-pane sash windows as centre opening lights). Outer bays on each floor have narrower window openings (formerly with small-paned sashes), except in lower right, which has wide segmentally arched carriage entry to rear yard. To the rear, the original rear wall of the house is largely blank, but has a 2-storeyed brick wing which was added in c1900. (This in turn is partly obscured by flat-roofed C20 additions). Adjoining the house to rear and running parallel with Vulcan Street is a long 2-storeyed works range which probably formed part of the original foundry premises. Partially heavily rebuilt in brick, it nevertheless retains elements of an original early C19 structure, characterised by rubble walling with segmentally arched openings with brick dressings. Cement rendered blank elevation to Vulcan Street.

Vaynor Church - 1870 CF48 2TT

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Vaynor Church - 1870

CF48 2TT

The original Vaynor Church was built in 874 or 714 but was burnt down during the battle of Maesvaynor which took place in 1291, the church replacing this very early one became dilapidated by 1867 and the Crawshays had a new church built which was completed in 1870. The church is dedicated to St Gwynno.

One of the most remarkable memorials in Vaynor Churchyard is the grave of Robert Thompson Crawshay, known as the ‘Iron King’. It is a slab of stone of immense size, said to weigh 10 tons. He famously had the inscription ‘God forgive me’ on his grave.

Old Vaynor Church – 1295 CF48 2TT

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Old Vaynor Church – 1295

CF48 2TT

Grade II Listed

History
Remains of medieval parish church of Vaynor, dedicated to St Gwynno, but erroneously said to be dedicated to St Gwendoline. All that survives is the W end with the curious tower with battlemented parapets W and E and pitched roof between, presumably the battlements a C18 or early C19 alteration. The church as photographed in 1865 was a single chamber with S porch. The first church is claimed to have been burnt in 1291 at the battle of
Maesyfaenor, but the evidence for battle and burning is not clear. The church was allowed to decay after the building of the new church in 1870 at the expense of R.T. Crawshay, the remains were repaired in the C20 but are in poor condition again.

Description
W end of demolished medieval church with small tower and sloping roofs each side. Tower has battlemented parapet W and E and gabled tiled roof between. W front has loop in tower, small rectangular opening mid-way and left jamb of a blocked door (shown as arched in 1865 photograph). Tower sides are plain and have slate roofs abutting (continuing pitch of lost main roof). The E side, former W end of nave has corbelled block of masonry high up, purpose unknown, a low W door with cambered yellow brick arch infilled below a taller cambered head with stone voussoirs. Door to right with stone slab lintel into space N of tower with stone steps up to former bell loft.

Unitarian Chapel, Lower Thomas Street CF47 0DA

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Unitarian Chapel, Lower Thomas Street

CF47 0DA

The Unitarians boasted two buildings in the town. The first chapel, in Twynyrodyn, was built in 1821. This was let to another religious group around the turn of the century and was demolished in the late 1960s.

Gomer Thomas, the treasurer of the South East Wales Unitarian Society was instrumental in building the new chapel in 1901. The chapel was closed in the early 1960s and subsequently sold. Its stonework still proudly proclaims “Unitarian Chapel”.

Grade II Listed

Location

Set in terraced row close to corner with Church Street.

History

Dated Dec 1901 (foundation stones). Designed by E A John(ston) FRIBA, architect of Abergavenny and

Merthyr; S Lumley, builder. Art Nouveau Gothic.

Description

Exterior

Elaborate set back gabled facade with overall porch on streetline. Red brick, pale freestone dressings including banding, red tile roofs. Tall parapeted gable with finials and traceried panelling. Gabled and panelled buttresses flank large 5-light sinuous traceried window. 1-storey, 5-bay porch with crenellated parapet, pilasters, raised lettering and date. Cavetto-moulded segmental arches with hoods on corbels; original railed and gated entrances with outer steps up to chapel, inner go down to former schoolroom. Arched Lower doorway under cornice with tablet flowers and shields, 3-light window over. Arched treatment to lean-to roofs over entrances.

Interior

4-bay chapel interior with short transepts. Tall "chancel arch" with brick infill and pilasters. Segmental side arches with polygonal concave-sided shafts and bases; foliage caps and bracket corbels to hammer-beam roof with arched braces and high collars with king-posts.

Treharris Library CF46 5ET

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Treharris Library

CF46 5ET

Designed by local architect, W. Dowdeswell in an Edwardian Baroque style. Single-storey front of three bays. The outer ones project slightly, framed by channelled angle quoins and lit by yawningly wide Venetian windows with stumpy Ionic colonnettes. The central doorway is flanked by similar colonnettes carrying brackets on which perches an open segmental pediment.

Grade II Listed

History
Public library of 1909 by W Dowdeswell in Edwardian free style. Single storey with high rear over basement.

Opened October 1909. Altered in 1987 with principal entry now through left side door.

Description
Exterior
Public library, red brick and Bath stone with slate hipped roof with leaded base of missing cupola. Single-storey front with basement to rear due to steeply sloped site. Front of 3 bays, the outer ones projected and gabled with moulded copings. Gables have channelled ashlar outer piers with modillion cornices and top blocking courses, fine large Palladian windows with Ionic columns, moulded arch, keystone and coloured leaded glass. Sandstone plinths, raised on tolled Pennant stone base on right due to slope. Cast-iron rainwater pipes in return to centre piece which has modillion cornice broken forward over ashlar centre which has parapet lettered Treharris between 2 ashlar blocks. Blocking course each side, ashlar frieze right across with Free and Library incised each side of motto with oak-leaves over shield with Virgin with spear and 2 swords, this over main door hood. Ashlar segmental curved hood, moulded with panelled soffit on big brackets with acanthus carving, carried on bulbous Ionic columns. From hood projects very large iron clock in square frame, a 1914-18 war memorial. Tympanum under hood has roundel cartouche with sprays each side over broad doorway with 2 iron gates. Four stone steps up between sandstone moulded low walls curving out each side, with low curving iron rails. Flanking entry are paired small lights with single ashlar sill and lintel with dripstone.

Door is recessed in main entry, the recess with mosaic floor with CL in wreath (for Carnegie Library). Art Nouveau plaque recording opening. Double doors with bevelled glass and big overlight, some panes shaped.

Left end is roughcast with flush stone heads and sills to windows. Four bays, door in third bay, coloured leaded glazing to windows and door overlight. Plain rendered right end wall, rendered rear basement with pebbledash first floor, 2 window left, 3 centre and Palladian window right, most with leaded coloured glazing.

Interior
Left reading room has curved plaster ceiling, leaded Palladian window each end. Curved wall behind disused main entry with 7-light window in long lights with patterned leading. Former entrance lobby has moulded cornice.

Three Salmon Street CF47 8DS

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Three Salmon Street

CF47 8DS

Adjacent to the churchyard on Lower High Street is Three Salmon Street, a former public house. Old photographs show that this building originally jutted into what is now the road. When the building was restored, a touch of artistic licence was employed, and a false chimney stack was put on the gable end - directly above the window!

Three Horse Shoes, Georgetown CF48 1AY

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Three Horse Shoes,
Georgetown

CF48 1AY

This is one of Merthyr's oldest public houses. Legend has it that Dic Penderyn, who was hanged for his part in the Merthyr Rising of 1831, held meetings at the rear of the pub. The Merthyr Chartists certainly used it as a meeting place.

Thomastown Plaque located at CF47 0BA

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Thomastown

Plaque located at CF47 0BA

Thomastown was built on the “Court Estate”, land which belonged to Dr. Thomas who lived at The Court House (see above). It consisted of 172 acres and did not contain many minerals. Dr. Thomas allowed the area to develop as a superior residential area, mainly between 1849 & 1865.

In 1978, Thomastown was designated a Conservation Area.