10 Nightingale Street

10 Nightingale Street is a terraced house, part of an important early group of industrial worker housing at Abercanaid. Built between 1852 and 1861, possibly by the Plymouth Iron Company to house workers at Abercanaid Pit and Pentrebach Forge, it is one of seven surviving terraces that originally formed a substantial settlement.

The original layout 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 three longer rows to the north known as The Squares, plus a terrace of larger houses backing onto the canal and two detached houses for higher-grade employees. Of these, the seven original terraces remain, though five are listed and all have been much altered since their 1975 listing. The rear two terraces in Canal Row are unlisted. The northern terraces have been demolished, as has one of the detached houses; the other, Llwynyreos, survives.

Despite their small size, these houses were relatively generous for their era, being double-fronted rather than the single-window-and-door type of earlier worker housing. However, they were narrow structures with roof-spans of 4 to 5 metres and no rear outshuts, as they had roads or access paths both front and back. The original plan was arranged around a central passageway with a rear staircase. The facades are slightly offset to accommodate larger kitchen chimneys, with the offset side alternated to create mirrored pairs.

Number 10 is constructed of square rubble stone with a close-eaved slate roof and stone end stacks. It is two storeys tall and double-fronted, with 4-pane sash windows (two per floor) and a centre door with overlight. Stone voussoirs and sills ornament the openings. The rear wall, also of rubble stone, has a low door and tiny window to the right at ground level and an upper window to the right.

As built, the houses featured small-paned sashes and stone chimneys with voussoirs to all openings on both floors. Some houses backing onto gardens have been extended to the rear; others retain their original depth. Similar houses further south in Nightingale Street appear to be of later date and are also much altered, but they contribute to the character of the Abercanaid settlement.

The property was not inspected.