Talygarn House
A large country house in free Gothic style.
Built mainly in the period 1879-82, by George Thomas Clark, a distinguished scholar, engineer and ironmaster, it has snecked rock-faced stone with lighter stone dressings and slate roofs.
The interior is mainly in early Renaissance style – venetian craftsmen were brought in to decorate the interior of the house, and the carved panelling, ornate staircases and painted ceilings still remain today.
Clark, who bought most of the land from Rev. Doctor William Lisle in the mid 19th Century, initially concentrated on improving the farm buildings and land, but from 1870 to his death in 1898 he focussed his efforts upon improving and extending the house and gardens.
In 1923, his grandson, Wyndham Damar Clark, sold the house and grounds to the South Wales Miners’ Welfare Committee, when Talygarn became a miners’ convalescent home and later a rehabilitation centre for mineworkers.
During this time it was supported by Paul Robeson a famous american singer who not only contributed to its running costs, but performed for the miners who were here.