75 Nightingale Street

75 Nightingale Street is a terraced house forming part of the early 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 an important group of 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, two in Canal Row, and to the north three longer rows at right angles to the river and canal known as The Squares, together with a terrace of larger houses backing onto the canal and two detached houses for higher-grade employees. All seven terraces survive, though five are listed and much altered even since listing in 1975; the rear two in Canal Row are unlisted. The northern rows and one detached house have been demolished, though Llwynyreos survives.

Though small, these houses are relatively generous for their era—double-fronted rather than the single-window-and-door type seen in earlier examples—but were narrow, with roof-spans of only 4 to 5 metres and without rear outshuts, as they had roads or access paths both front and back. Originally built of square rubble stone with close-eaved slate roofs and stone end stacks, they are two storeys high, double-fronted with small-paned sash windows (two to each floor) and a centre door, probably with an overlight. Stone voussoirs frame the openings on both floors, and stone sills are present. The internal plan originally arranged around a centre passageway and rear staircase. The facades are slightly offset to allow for larger kitchen chimneys, with the offset side alternated to create mirrored pairs. Rear walls of rubble stone originally had one small door and pantry window below on one side and one small upper window. Gardens in front or behind 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 original depth.

No. 75, an end terrace house, has been substantially altered with 20th-century windows, stuccoed thin surrounds, concrete roof tiles replacing slate, loss of the right-hand chimney, a painted roughcast end wall, and an added rear wing.