The Tudor Merchant's House, Tenby, Pembrokeshire

Entry Name: The Tudor Merchant's House

Listing Date: 19 March 1951

Last Amended: 28 March 2002

Grade: I

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 6226

Building Class: Domestic

Also known as: The Tudor Merchant's House

ID on this website: 300006226

Location: Situated on the W side of Quay Hill facing down Bridge Street.

County: Pembrokeshire

Town: Tenby

Community: Tenby (Dinbych-y-pysgod)

Community: Tenby

Built-Up Area: Tenby

Traditional County: Pembrokeshire

Tagged with: Building

History

C15 to early C16 town house, much restored to a plan of ground floor front room and kitchen, first floor hall and attic bedchamber, supposing outside stairs on the N side to the hall. But the plan is more complex as clearly linked and related to Plantagenet House, to the S, as part of a larger range. The house was given to the National Trust in 1937 and restored in consultation with HM Office of Works. Old photographs show the gable facade rough rendered with 12-pane sash windows to the ground and first floor openings.

Exterior

House, rubble stone with slate roof, 2 storeys and attic with narrow gabled front to Quay Hill. Gable has ashlar 2-light window with hoodmould set slightly to right of centre and up against a stone square chimney that rises through left gable slope. Window has arched heads to lights and leaded glazing. Both chimney and window project from main wall face supported on stone corbels, with straight joint between chimney and window. Left side of chimney breast has sloping set-off. First floor centre small C20 2-light timber window with leaded panes. Ground floor similar window to left, with stone voussoirs over and door to right in cambered headed surround of large stones (similar to other medieval doorways in Tenby). Single curved stone for head and long stone each side, with impost stones between. Doorway may have been lengthened as lower jambs are of rubble stone. Rough stone relieving arch over, C20 plank door up 3 slate steps.
Left side return wall is corbelled above small first floor leaded window. Rear wall has very large chimney breast with square chimney. Ground floor door to right and first floor restored 3-light mullioned window with arched-headed lights. NW side has latrine-turret with sloping roof, first floor restored 3-light mullion window.

Interior

Ground floor front room has massive beam on corbels, smaller beam on front wall, also on corbels and rough square joists. Blocked chamfered window on rear (internal), some C18 wall-painting on this rear wall, also on S wall and N short stub wall to passage, simple plant scroll with stars in black, yellow and red. S wall has projecting piece in left corner. Another ceiling beam across above partition to rear kitchen. Rear has another massive beam on corbels, large kitchen fireplace on rear wall with stone voussoirs to cambered arch. Corbels above fireplace carrying joists. Entry to right to base of NW latrine tower, the latrine chute with stone lintel on corbels. Recess in N wall. C20 inserted stairs on S wall. First floor has 3-light window on rear wall, beams on corbels, one on rear wall, then one with chamfers, the next chamfered on W side only, a third not chamfered, and the last on front wall. Fireplace on N wall with stone lintel on corbels, 3-light mullion window to left and latrine chute in left corner. To right of fireplace is blocked pointed door, unmoulded, presumably to former outside stairs. Splayed reveal to E front window, and recess to right. S wall has small window in extreme left corner, in a piece of projecting wall (as on ground floor and attic). C20 stairs to right, and further right, over stairs from ground floor, oak-framed doorway into Plantagenet House to S. Attic bedchamber has fine 5-bay roof with collar trusses, the collars cambered and chamfered below. Curved scarfed braces down to corbels on S wall, not on N. Small windows N and S, main window on E front with fireplace to right in projecting chimneybreast. Monolith jambs and lintel. Curve on N wall of chimneybreast from room below. Two big corbels on S wall under eaves. W end has been divided off as staff room.

Reasons for Listing

Graded I as the exceptional survival of a late medieval town house.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.