74 Nightingale Street

74 Nightingale Street is part of an important early group of industrial housing at Abercanaid. The settlement originally comprised seven terraces arranged in four rows facing east between the river and canal—one in River Row, two facing and two backing onto Nightingale Street, and two in Canal Row—with a further three longer rows at right angles to the river and canal to the north, known as The Squares, a terrace of larger houses backing onto the canal, and two detached houses for higher grades of employees. Of these, the seven terraces survive (five listed, though much altered since 1975; the rear two in Canal Row remain unlisted), while the northern terraces and one detached house have been demolished; the other detached house, Llwynyreos, survives.

The houses were built between 1852 and 1861, possibly by the Plymouth Iron Company to house workers at Abercanaid Pit and Pentrebach Forge. Though small, they are relatively generous for the period, similar to those at the nearby Triangle, Pentrebach (now demolished). They are double-fronted rather than the single-window-and-door type seen in earlier examples, but were narrow with roof spans of 4 to 5 metres and without rear outshuts, as they had roads or access paths both front and rear. Originally planned around a centre passageway and rear staircase, they were constructed of rubble stone with small-paned sashes, slate roofs and stone chimneys, and featured stone voussoirs to openings on both floors. The facades are slightly offset to accommodate larger kitchen chimneys, with the offset side alternated to create mirrored pairs. Gardens were accessed across a footpath running down the terrace line. Houses backing onto gardens (Nos 70–81 Nightingale Street) have generally been extended to the rear; others retain their original depth.

No. 74 is a two-storey double-fronted house of square rubble stone with a close-eaved slate roof and stone end stacks. It originally had two small-paned sash windows per floor and a centre door, probably with an overlight, all with stone voussoirs and sills. The rear wall is also of rubble stone, originally with one small door and pantry window below to one side and one small upper window.

The house has been significantly altered: it now has 20th-century windows and door in stuccoed thin surrounds, concrete roof tiles, and the rear rubble stone wall remains visible.