The Beeches Nursing Home
(Formerly Known As Ty Mawr), Blaenavon
Description: The Beeches Nursing Home (Formerly Known As Ty Mawr)
Grade: II
Date Listed: 2 September 1995
Cadw Building ID: 15272
OS Grid Coordinates: 324961, 208964
Latitude/Longitude: 51.7739, -3.0877
Location: 12, Park Gardens, Blaenavon NP4 9RE
Locality: Blaenavon
County: Torfaen
Country: Wales
Postcode: NP4 9RE
I was out with my fellow explorer Will,(sweetapplepie1) heading towards The Big Pit for a looksie as I had never been there before, when we passed The Beeches. I turned the car around up the road and headed back towards the building. The entrance was on a bend and luckily it was also an entrance to other properties sharing the entrance. We parked up and went for a wander. We took numerous external photos and headed towards the rear of the building. Will found a piece of the metal covering, bent up from previous explorerers. We ducked and clambered through the opening. We spent an hour or so wandering around the delapidated state of what was probably a nice building many years ago.
Nice find when not really looking or expecting an urbex explore. Have had a browse online and have added some information regrading this building.
Hope you enjoy and dont forget to give us an add or a like etc.
Thanks in advance.
History
Built around 1800 by Samuel Hopkins, son of the first resident manager of the Ironworks and himself proprietor from 1798. An 1839 date stone in the car park may refer to an additional building phase. The house was used by the directors of the Blaenavon Company as a hunting lodge until 1924. It was then converted into a hospital and became the local medical society, into which the workers paid a subscription, pre-empting the National Health Service.
Interior
The interior has been much altered to accommodate the building's use as a nursing home, although the original room layouts are apparent from the surviving ceiling cornices. Two large reception rooms on the ground floor retain their grand fireplaces, one of which is of cast iron with fine detailing, painted to resemble carved marble. The main staircase is possibly original. A 1926 Smith Major and Stephens lift is original to the building's first hospital phase. The cellar has wall tiling incorporating a green cross, which is evidence of its use as a mortuary.
Exterior
A late Georgian rendered three storey mansion. The original block is on a rectangular plan with extensions to rear. Small-pane sash windows. Six-bay main facade with plinth and band courses between floors. Wide doorway is flanked by pair of wooden pilasters standing on stone plinths. Door itself is modern. There are six ground floor windows of varying sizes, five are sash. One small window is probably a later insert. First floor has four sash windows, second floor has five. Cast iron fire escape stands against the facade presumably dating from its use as a hospital. Deep wooden eaves are of simple moulding. Hipped, M-shaped roof is of slate, with lead covering the ridge tiles. A large rendered chimney stack is at the north, with nine yellow ceramic chimney pots. To the south a rendered ashlar wall with lean-to roof is edged with a thin tapering stone column.
Video by "CollidingPlanets"
