History

Built as industrial housing at the beginning of the C19. On the estate map 'The Property of the Rhymney Iron Company' of 1838 the terrace is shown, not named, opposite the 'Old Level on the Race Lace Coal'; the farm up the lane to E is called Ras Bryn-oer and the area is the site of pits and workings over a long period. Terrace was constructed to house the skilled colliers. Brynoer provided coal for iron-working furnaces and also exported it via the tramroad which ran in front of the houses and thence N across the mountains and down to the Brecon and Abergavenny Canal at Talybont on Usk. A short distance to NW is the site of the first ironworks in Rhymney, the Rhymney Upper Furnace. The Union Ironworks was opened in 1800 and taken over by the Crawshay family in 1803; it was then expanded by the opening of a new furnace. The works passed in 1810 to Benjamin Hall who carried out further improvements. In 1825 the Bute Ironworks was established across the river to W and a few years later the sites amalgamated to form the Rhymney Iron Company. The similarity between Susannah Houses and other Crawshay house types in the Merthyr area suggests they were built at the time of that family's ownership, probably contemporary with their development of the ironworks soon after 1803. A masonry break between Nos.2 and 3 plus the change from square to cambered heads indicates that Nos.3 and 4 were built separately although almost certainly very soon after. Opposite was once a second row of cottages and the two appear on OS first edition of 1875 as Susannah's Row.

Exterior

2-storey, colour-washed, stone-built terrace comprising four, 2-window, double-fronted cottages with colour-washed rubble front. Undulating slate roof with 3 mostly rendered yellow brick stacks. Nos.3 and 4 are stepped up and have cambered-headed openings to ground floor. The size of the window openings has not been changed but the glazing has been altered including the insertion of a variety of top-hung casements, though No.3 has a 6-pane metal frame with top-hung casement which could be original; painted surrounds to openings, including rough or tooled stone sills, brick voussoirs. First floor windows are directly under eaves. Boarded doors to Nos.1 and 4. Lean-tos at both ends, applied pebble dash and timbering to downhill gable end. Outshuts to rear at each end with catslide roof and large stack to No.1. Shallow flag and brick apron to front.

Interior

Door of No.1 opens directly onto main room which has fireplace with steep wooden spiral stairs behind door beside; a small parlour opens off. Boarded doors with original surrounds.

Reasons for Listing

Listed for its special interest as a rare surviving example of early industrial housing in S Wales, little altered, and for its associations with the important Rhymney Iron Company.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29491615

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.

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