4 Quay Row

This is a two-storey house in a row of early 19th century cottages, built for industrial workers associated with nearby collieries. It is located just northwest of the former Lucy Thomas dock on the Glamorganshire Canal. Early 19th century Ordnance Survey maps show two parallel rows of cottages in the area, and the 1850 tithe map indicates additional rows were added to the west. At that time, the area belonged to the estate of Thomas Thomas. By 1919, the westernmost rows had been demolished, leaving the current Quay Row.

The house is part of a row of four fronting the former canal. It’s built of rubble stone, with four double-fronted houses (numbered 2-5) and a half-width house at the end, formerly number 1 and now incorporated into number 2. Originally, houses number 2-5 were designed around a central passageway and a rear staircase. The window and door openings feature stone voussoirs. The houses have a narrow depth and lack any rear outshot or lean-to. Houses number 6-7 have been entirely rebuilt and may have originally resembled the other cottages in the row.

Number 4 Quay Row has a whitewashed exterior, an imitation-slate roof, and a stone chimney stack on the left side. It has two 20th-century hardwood windows on each floor and a 20th-century centre door, all set within thin stucco surrounds. Since 1975, the original sash windows have been removed. The building has not been inspected internally.