Full Report for Listed Buildings
The list description is not intended to be a complete inventory of what is listed: it is principally intended to aid identification. By law, the definition of a listed building includes the entire building (i) and any structure or object that is fixed to the said building and ancillary to it and (ii) any other structure or object that forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948, and was within the curtilage of the building, and ancillary to it, on the date on which said building was first included in the list, or on 1 January 1969, whichever was later.
Summary Description
Reference Number
11478
Building Number
Grade
II
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
22/05/1974
Date of Amendment
12/11/2002
Name of Property
Dowlais Works Stables
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Merthyr Tydfil
Community
Dowlais
Town
Merthyr Tydfil
Locality
Dowlais
Easting
306739
Northing
207888
Street Side
NW
Location
On the NW side of Upper Union Street facing down the slope to the High Street and the former location of the Dowlais Iron Works.
Description
Broad Class
Industrial
Period
History
Former stable range for the Dowlais works, built for Sir Josiah John Guest in 1820. The large first-floor rooms were used as a boys school until the Dowlais Schools were built in 1854-5. Soldiers were stationed here for several years after the Merthyr riots of 1831. The stables closed in the 1930s. The range was derelict by the 1970s and bought by the Merthyr Tydfil Heritage Trust in 1981. The interior and rear were wholly rebuilt as flats and the facade walls were also substantially rebuilt.
Exterior
Former stable range now flats, squared grey brown rubble stone with dressings in grey limestone and some renewed in tooled sandstone. Slate eaves roofs. Two-storeys with centre and end pavilions separating 9-bay ranges. The right range and upper part of left pavilion are entirely rebuilt. Originally the 2 ranges had limestone voussoirs to cambered headed lower windows and segmental headed upper windows, with small-paned glazing and stone sills. Left range had plinth with limestone coping, due to slope of site. The front wall of the right range is rebuilt with sandstone voussoirs to openings. All windows are later C20, small-paned casements with 4-pane top-light. Centre entrance has grey stone quoins, tall broad entry with depressed arch with grey stone voussoirs and keystone, and plain impost course, also in grey limestone. Below impost level on each side is narrow plate of cast-iron built-in with pierced hole for door pin. Upper storey has stone framed eroded rectangular plaque between flush bands of grey stone. Plaque had date 1820 in Roman numerals. Star-shaped cast-iron tie-rod end each side. Pediment with thin base course and bargeboards to gable, 2 further tie-rod ends and centre large cast-iron clock face. Renewed octagonal timber lantern on ridge with ogee lead dome and urn finial. End pavilions have coped pediments with big blind keyed roundels in grey stone. Main floors have triumphal-arch motif with quoined piers, thin impost band and grey stone arch with voussoirs. One window each floor within arch. Left pavilion is rebuilt with impost course and pediment as at other end, but dressings in tooled sandstone.
Windowless end walls.
Within arch are rebuilt stairs to upper floors. Rear is wholly rebuilt in yellow brick as flats with access balcony, except the 3 main features. Rear of 3 main features all rubble stone, plain. Centre has stone voussoirs to depressed arch, 2 louvred square lights above with renewed voussoirs and blocked brick roundel. Outer pavilions have a window each floor, renewed with C20 glazing.
Interior
Not inspected.
Reason for designation
Included as an historically important industrial relic of remarkable scale and architectural design.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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