87579

 

II  

Designated  

20/02/2009  

20/02/2009  

Abertillery and District Hospital (original ranges only)  

 

Caerphilly  

Crumlin  

 

Aberbeeg  

320705  

201729  

 

The hospital is situated to the south of the Abertillery valley, high up on a spur of land overlooking the confluence of the River Ebbw and the River Ebbw Fach, and approached from Pantddu Road, where it is adjacent to the parish church of Llanhilleth.  

Health and Welfare  

 

The hospital was founded in 1920, commissioned and paid for by the miners of the Abertillery area, via a subscription levied on wages. It was designed by Walter Prosser of Newport. The foundation stone was laid by the chairman of Powell's Tillery Steam Coal Co Ltd, John Lancaster and Co Ltd, Lancasters Steam Coal Collieries Ltd. The hospital opened in 1922. In 1925, one of the first Marie Stopes Birth Control Clinics in Wales was opened here. Subsequent small-scale extension has left the original building substantially unaltered. Ancillary range, including mortuary building, in the grounds.  

The hospital comprises two parallel ranges linked by a short corridor: the administration, treatment and accommodation block forms the main range, with the ward block to its rear. In its separation of the elements, it represents a scaled-down version of the pavilion plan which had become a norm for hospital planning from the mid-nineteenth century. Both ranges have a common architectural language (arts-and-crafts or domestic revival), but the main block has a more elaborate architectural scheme with a higher level of enrichment. Flemish bond brick-work with some tile-hanging to main elevation of main range, render to its sides and rear, and to ward block, bold clay tiled roofs with strongly projecting eaves and wrought-iron brackets to gutters throughout. The main range is designed to resemble a house, in an expressive arts and crafts idiom, displaying the influences of Voysey and Lutyens. A long two-storeyed range with axial stacks in steeply pitched hipped roof, which is swept down over the ground floor at each end. The range is symmetrically set out with advanced hipped gables at either end, and 3 linking bays to either side of the slightly advanced entrance block. The façade is articulated by the use of plain brick pilasters between the bays, and the windows are clasped between the pilasters to form rhythmic bands of fenestration. Entrance block of 3 bays, breaking the eaves line to form a parapet, with gable over the central bay, enriched with raised brick diaper work. Wide central entrance clasped by pilasters, with very shallow arched head and brick-work imposts stepped back to paired inner doors, panelled with leaded glazed upper lights and overlight. Above the entrance, a long 5-light wood mullioned window with leaded lights, aligned with all other first floor windows to form a strong band of fenestration. Tile-hanging between doorway and this window. Flanking bays of entrance block have wood mullioned and transomed windows with leaded lights to ground floor (with foundation stones as aprons), and small 2-light mullioned windows above; herringbone tile-work between the ground and first floor windows. To either side of the entrance block, 3 bays with windows of 4, 2 and 4 lights, mullioned and transomed to ground floor, mullioned to first floor, and immediately below the eaves. Advanced gables at either end, each with steep hipped roof with distinctive pitch change at apex, and pilasters clasping 4-light mullioned window beneath the eaves. Varying ground-floor detail: left-hand gable was an original entrance (to the casualty department), and has round-arched doorway with stepped-back brickwork detail in arch, and paired doors with glazed upper panels. Main roof sweeps down over ground floor to its left, where there is a narrow rendered bay forming the return of the side elevation: large, asymmetrical roof, with two hipped-dormers; series of ground floor windows with transoms, variously 3, 2 and 1 light. Right hand gable has mullioned and transomed window to ground floor; beyond it, the roof again sweeps down over the ground floor, with narrow recessed rendered bay forming the return of side elevation: this has narrow round-arched service entrance, and single light transomed windows. Detached ward block to rear, with linking corridor: two wards, in long range, symmetrical to either side of the corridor. Single storeyed, with steep hipped roof. Regular fenestration - 2-pane sash windows with top-lights immediately below the eaves. Buttresses define day room at each end; these have hipped roof carried on brackets over canted bay window (in left-hand ward this is advanced from the gable end, and in right-hand ward, from the end of the east elevation). Three original service blocks to rear.  

Original layout survives with only minor alteration: mosaic-tiled entrance lobby gives access to long corridor forming the link to the ward block at the rear. This is lined with turquoise-tiled dado, and there is similar tile-work to ward corridors. Each ward has small rooms opening off central corridor, then the main ward subdivided by a cross wall, with well-lit day room at far end. Main block housed kitchen and staff rooms to right, with treatment rooms etc to left; offices and staff quarters to first floor, where the doctors' sitting room is distinguished by a timber-framed ingle-nook fireplace, built-in cupboards and window seats.  

Listed as an exceptionally well-preserved example of a small cottage hospital, retaining original layout (a good, small-scale example of the pavilion plan), and skilfully designed using a domestic arts-and-crafts idiom to convey its ethos of care.