2 Nightingale Street

2 Nightingale Street is a house in a terraced row, built between 1852 and 1861 as part of an important early group of industrial housing at Abercanaid. The terraces were originally arranged in 4 rows, comprising 7 separate blocks facing east between the river and canal. These included one in River Row, two facing and two backing onto Nightingale Street, and two in Canal Row, with an additional three longer rows to the north known as The Squares, a terrace of larger houses backing onto the canal, and two detached houses for higher-grade employees. The houses were possibly built by the Plymouth Iron Company to accommodate workers at Abercanaid Pit and Pentrebach Forge.

Of the original 7 terraces, all survive, though five are listed and much altered since listing in 1975; the rear two in Canal Row are unlisted. The terraces to the north have been demolished, with only one of the two detached houses, Llwynyreos, surviving.

Though modest in size, these houses were relatively generous for their era, being double-fronted rather than the earlier single-window-and-door type seen at Rhydycar (now at St Fagans Museum). However, they were narrow, with roof-spans of 4 to 5 metres and without rear outshuts, as roads or access paths ran both front and back. As originally built, they had a plan arranged around a centre passageway with a rear staircase, were constructed of rubble stone with small-paned sash windows, 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 in front or behind were accessed via a footpath running along the terrace line. Houses backing onto gardens have generally been extended to the rear; others retain their original depth.

The house is two storeys and double-fronted with two small-paned sash windows per floor and a centre door, probably with an overlight. Stone voussoirs and stone sills are present to openings. The rear wall, also originally of rubble stone, had one small door and pantry window below on one side and one small upper window.

Number 2 has been substantially altered, with 20th-century windows and stuccoed thin surrounds, concrete roof tiles replacing the original slate. The rear wall to Nightingale Street now has a low door and tiny window to the right, with an upper window to the left.