8 Nightingale Street

A terraced house forming part of the important early group of industrial housing at Abercanaid, built between 1852 and 1861, possibly by the Plymouth Iron Company to house workers employed 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, two in Canal Row, and to the north three longer rows at right angles to the river and canal known as The Squares, a larger terrace backing onto the canal, and two detached houses for higher grades of employees. All seven of the original terraces survive, five of which are listed though much altered since 1975; the rear two in Canal Row are unlisted. The northern terraces have been demolished, though one of the two detached houses, Llwynyreos, survives.

Though small, these houses were 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 such as the terrace from Rhydycar, now preserved at St Fagans Museum. The houses were narrow with roof-spans of 4 to 5 metres and lacked rear outshuts, as they had roads or access paths both back and front. As originally built, the plan was 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 give mirrored pairs. 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; the others retain their original depth.

The building is two storeys and double-fronted, constructed of square rubble stone with a close-eaved slate roof and stone end stacks. It features small-paned sash windows—two on each floor—and a centre door probably with an overlight. Stone voussoirs and stone sills frame the openings on both floors. The rear wall of rubble stone originally had one small door and pantry window to one side and one small upper window.

No. 8 has 12-pane horned sashes (restored since 1975), a 20th-century door and overlight, and stuccoed thin surrounds to the windows. The rear wall to Nightingale Street has a low door and tiny window to the right, with an upper window also to the right, all now uPVC.

The similar houses further south in Nightingale Street appear to be of later date and are much altered, though they contribute to the character of the Abercanaid settlement.