The Tudor Merchant's House is a 15th-century town house located in
Tenby
Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community.
Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembr ...
,
Pembrokeshire, in south west Wales.
The house was built in the late 15th century from stone. At the time, Tenby was a busy commercial port, and the occupant of this type of house would have been a merchant who'd trade goods that were brought into and out of the town's harbour. The building consists of three storeys; the lower floor was originally used as a shop by the merchant to conduct his business, the first floor as living quarters for the family and the upper floor for the sleeping quarters. The first floor would have been accessed by an external staircase and toilet facilities were located in a tower at the side of the house.
The ceilings are supported by oak beams.
The building is the oldest house still standing in Tenby, and was
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historical ...
with Grade I status (indicating a building of exceptional interest) on March 19, 1951. The building was donated by Tenby Corporation to the
National Trust
The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
in 1938 who then repaired the building.
Today it is operated as a
historic house museum
A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a v ...
, with the building furnished and decorated as it would have been in the year 1500 with a combination of period and reproduction items.
References
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External links
Tudor Merchant's House– official site at National Trust
Buildings and structures in Pembrokeshire
Grade I listed buildings in Pembrokeshire
National Trust properties in Wales
Tenby
Historic house museums in Wales
Museums in Pembrokeshire