History

Ceri Richard was born at 10 Fairwood Road in 1903, shortly after the house had been built by his father. He studied at Swansea School of Art and in 1924 won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London where he was a student under Professor Randolph Schwabe. A key member of the international modern movement, his paintings were never wholly abstract and his eclectic style focused mainly on the human figure, undertaken in a variety of mediums. His first one-man exhibition was held at the Glyn Vivian Art Gallery in 1937, and the first in London was at the Leger Gallery in 1943. In the same year he was commissioned by the Ministry of Information to produce drawings of tin-plate workers, at which time he was teaching at Cardiff School of Art. This was followed by many other commissions, exhibitions and awards. He taught at the Chelsea School of Art, the Royal College of Art and was a visiting lecturer at the Slade School of Fine Arts. Though living most of his adult life in London, he also had a home near Swansea and retained his links with Wales. He was involved in the organisation of the National Eisteddfod of Wales, and was one of the South Wales Group, who selected exhibitions with the aim of stimulating interest in art in Wales. He was one of 3 Welsh artists commissioned to produce work for the Festival of Britain in 1951. His illustrations of Dylan Thomas' poems was the most significant aspect of his post-war work beginning in 1947, and was one of his greatest contributions to Welsh culture. A number of retrospective art exhibitions were held from the 1960s, for example at Whitechapel Art Gallery and the Venice Biennale, and in 1981 after his death at the Tate Gallery. He was awareded the CBE in 1960.

Exterior

Symmetrical 2-storey 3-window house with rear wing. Rendered stone under slate roofs with yellow brick end stacks with dog tooth dentils. Central doorcase containing a panelled door and overlight. Plain pilasters and dentilled cornice supported on corbels. The windows have segmental heads, stone sills and rusticated surrounds and contain horned sash windows without glazing bars. To the upper storey, alternating jamb stones are vermiculated, whilst the heads have cross motifs to the keystone and shoulders. The windows flanking the doors are similar, but the voussoirs are taller with high vermiculated keystones and shoulders. To the right, a slate roundel is mounted on the wall stating 'Ceri Richards, Artist 1903-71, Born here'. Adjoining the L side of the house is a lean-to garage with planked double doors and a high parapet with brick coping. No openings to S and N gable ends. Central wing to rear with yellow brick end stack with dog tooth dentils. The L side has a window to each storey matching those to the front. Small lean-to to rear of wing with planked door, and late C20 window to L. Late C20 lean-to porch to L of wing. Adjoining the R side of the wing is a late C20 2-storey extension with flat roof and windows to rear and S side.

Interior

No access to interior at time of inspection.

Reasons for Listing

Listed principally for its historical association with one of the most significant C20 Welsh artists. The house has retained its character of c1900 and reflects the environment in which the artist was raised.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29499721

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair