An east-west row of seven cottages, known as 'The Row' and now in a ruinous state, stand on the north side of Abereiddi. The cottages are not marked on the Llanrhian tithe map of 1844, but are known to have been built by 1849 (Ratty, 2008: 3, see also Davies, 2015: 15-16). They are shown on the OS 1st Edition 25" map of 1889 as a row of seven rectangular cottages, 57m long, by 6m wide, with a smaller square structure/enclosure adjoining the eastern end, and three small square structures/enclosures at the western end. The entire complex is 65m in length on the OS map. A rectangular enclosure is shown to the south of the cottages on the OS 1st Edition map, running the length of the cottages and c. 21m in width. This seems to be demarcated into long rectangular  areas, one per cottage, presumably gardens. A small square structure is shown at the end of each 'garden' corresponding one for each cottage, presumed to be toilets.

The cottages were built from local rock, typically black or dark grey, and friable, which is now much weathered. The northern wall of the cottages extends for 55m, in a general east-west alignment. It is is c. 0.6m thick, and stands to a height of c. 2.4m in some places. The gables between each cottage have now all collapsed, and there are no surviving roof timbers, or indeed any timberwork, visible. Much of the southern walls of the cottages have been destroyed, with the exception of the ends of the dividing walls. The extant remains of the dividing walls are between 0.65 and 0.75m thick. The southern wall, where measureable, is c.0.6m thick. The doorways were on the southern side, into a rectangular room with average internal dimensions of 7.3m by 4.6m. Davies (2015: 16) suggests the cottages were two-roomed, although there is no evidence of this in the surviving remains. The actual entrance details and doorways have been destroyed. Each cottage was served with a fireplace and niches to the sides (Ratty, 2008: 3), some of the latter are still visible, notably on the eastern walls of Cottage 2 and 3. 

The cottages were recorded in detail by Dyfed Archaeological Trust in 2008 (Ratty, 2008). When they were described as Cottage 1-7 from west to east. Since then, they have been subject to considerable loss of structure, such as the surviving gable recorded in 2008. Vegetation has become overgrown, obscuring many of the details visible in 2008. The collapse of the sea defence at Abereiddi and realignment of the high water mark has led to considerable encroachment of the shingle beach, and erosion of structural material from Cottage 1 at the western end of The Row. The three square structures/enclosures shown on the 1st Edition OS 25" map are no longer there. The western wall of Cottage 1 is severerly eroded, and the public footpath now leads through the middle of Cottage 1, causing further damage to the footprint of the northern wall of the cottage.

The site was recorded with a photogrammetry survey (links below) during a site visit by the RCAHMW on 11/12/2024 to create a 3D digital baseline record of the surviving remains, prior to further erosion damage.

Sources Include:

Davies, P. S. B., 2015. Porthgain & Abereiddi. A Century of Industry. St Davids: Merrivale.

Dyfed Archaeological Trust Historic Environment Record PRN 64746: https://archwilio.org.uk/her/chi3/report/page.php?watprn=DAT64746

Ordnance Survey, 1st Edition 25" Map.

Ratty, S., 2008. Abereiddi Slate Quarry Cottages, Pembrokeshire. Archaeological Recording. Dyfed Archaeological Trust PRN 64746, Report No. 2008/51. https://www.walesher1974.org/herumd.php?group=DAT&level=3&docid=301370620

RCAHMW Photogrammetry Survey, PGS2024_033, 11/12/2024: https://skfb.ly/psOLB

J. Whitewright, RCAHMW, December 2024