ANNEALING HOUSE, Swansea 2018

Disgrifiad

Notes on ANNEALING HOUSE, SWANSEA 2018

An impromptu visit on a very wet morning before work. Access to the building is just down a small bank alongside a footpath beside the Tawe. The buildings is just a shell, within trees and a maze of scaffolding. A few exposures made, nobody walked along the footpath, the rain putting off even the dog walkers. A quick half an hour attempting to walk through the bramble and overgrowth. The rear impossible to view.

Taken from Swansea Council website:
Annealing house at former Beaufort tin plate works established 1859 – 60 by John Jones Jenkins. The site was that of the Lower Forest copper mills founded in the C18 and possibly already converted to tin plate in 1836. Jenkins sold the works in 1877. The present building dated 1874 was added to the upper end of the original rolling mill of c1735, since demolished and is now the sole surviving building of the tin plate industry in Swansea.
The building was extensively restored and rebuilt in 1980’s with a reconstructed water wheel brought from a model farm owned by the colliery operator, John Jones of Brynamman. The works closed in the 1940’s. The building was in derelict state at the time of resurvey (October 2003) having been damaged by fire.
Exterior:- Former annealing building, oblong with stone rubble walls and slate roof, only some of the latter remaining. North gable end has six blocked yellow brick semi-circular vents above and two smaller similar vents below each side of tall central semi-circular arch with segmental headed opening and cast copper slag keystone dated 1874.
Doorway under brick arch on left side and round headed window under brick arch on right side. In east wall, a series of small semi-circular brick vents below each eaves above 3 blocked wide semi-circular headed arches. In west wall, a wide round headed central window with four bays to each side to right hand with four blocked semi-circular vents above a doorway and then three windows and to left hand with three of the former lunettes made into tall round headed windows. South gable end of red brick with small C20 window to left and large blocked doorway to the right.
Interior:- Not available for inspection. Roof in poor condition. Said to have had wooden king post trusses internally. Newman says ‘the tinning bays of the W block have been rebuilt in replica form.
Listed:- Included for its special historic interest as the last surviving building from the Swansea tinplate industry.

• https://www.welshruins.co.uk/annealing-house-swansea-2018.html (link opens in new window)