70 Nightingale Street

70 Nightingale Street is a terraced house forming part of the important early industrial housing settlement at Abercanaid. The terrace was built between 1852 and 1861, possibly by the Plymouth Iron Company to house workers at Abercanaid Pit and Pentrebach Forge.

The house is a two-storey structure originally built of square rubble stone with a close-eaved slate roof and stone end stacks. It is double-fronted with small-paned sash windows—two on each floor—and a centre door probably with an overlight. Stone voussoirs mark the openings on both floors, with stone sills. The rear walls are also of rubble stone and originally featured one small door and pantry window below on one side and one small upper window.

Though modest in size, these houses were relatively generous for their era, similar to those at the nearby Triangle in Pentrebach (since demolished). They were considerably more spacious than the single-window-and-door type seen in earlier terraces such as those from Rhydycar, now preserved at St Fagans Museum. The houses were narrow, with roof-spans of 4–5 metres and no rear outshuts, as they had roads or access paths both front and rear. Their plan form was organised 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. Gardens in front or behind were accessed via a footpath running down the terrace line. Houses backing onto gardens (numbers 70–81 Nightingale Street) have generally been extended to the rear; others retain their original depth.

By 1975, number 70 had already been substantially altered. It has since acquired dry-dash cladding, the original centre door has been moved to the right, windows and door have been replaced with 20th-century uPVC, a stuccoed sill band has been added, the slate roof has been replaced with concrete tiles, and a rear wing has been added.