78 Nightingale Street

78 Nightingale Street is a Grade II listed house forming part of an important early group of industrial housing at Abercanaid built between 1852 and 1861, possibly by the Plymouth Iron Company to house workers at the Abercanaid Pit and Pentrebach Forge.

The original settlement 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. To the north were three longer rows at right angles to the river and canal known as The Squares, a terrace of larger houses backing onto the canal, and two detached houses for higher-grade employees. All seven original terraces survive; five are listed though much altered since listing in 1975, while the rear two in Canal Row remain unlisted. The northern terraces have all been demolished, along with one of the detached houses, though the other, Llwynyreos, survives.

Though small, the houses are relatively generous for their era, similar to those at the nearby Triangle in Pentrebach (now demolished), being double-fronted rather than the single-window-and-door type seen in earlier examples. The houses were narrow with roof-spans of 4–5 metres and had no rear outshuts, as they had roads or access paths both front and back.

As originally built, the houses were constructed of square rubble stone with close-eaved slate roofs and stone end stacks. They were two storeys high with double frontages featuring small-paned sash windows (two per floor) and a centre door, probably with an overlight. Stone voussoirs and sills flanked the openings on both floors. The original plan was arranged around a centre passageway and rear staircase. The facades were slightly offset to allow for larger kitchen chimneys, with the offset alternating between adjacent pairs to create a mirrored effect. Front and rear gardens were accessed across a footpath running along the terrace line.

Rear walls were also of rubble stone and originally comprised one small door and pantry window below on one side, and one small upper window. Houses backing onto gardens (numbers 70–81 Nightingale Street) have generally been extended to the rear; others retain their original depth. Similar houses further south on Nightingale Street appear to be of later date and are also much altered, though they contribute to the character of the Abercanaid settlement.

Since listing, number 78 has had all its windows and door replaced with uPVC, with thin stucco surrounds added to the window openings. A rear wing has been added to the property.