3932

 

II*  

Designated  

10/08/1953  

03/05/2002  

Caernarfon Harbour Trust Offices  

 

Gwynedd  

Caernarfon  

Caernarfon  

Caernarfon  

247907  

362608  

 

On Slate Quay to the SE of and facing the castle.  

Maritime  

 

Caernarfon Harbour Trust was founded in 1793 following an Act of Parliament to improve the harbour facilities. The Trustees met in various locations until a purpose-built office was erected. The building is dated 1840 and is by John Lloyd, architect of Caernarfon. A clock by David Griffith was incorporated into the original front. The building originally incorporating a meeting room, an external weighing machine on the N side of the building and a dwelling for the machine man. The building was restored in 1993.  

A symmetrical late-Georgian composition comprising a 2-storey gabled central bay with set back flanking single-storey 2-window wings, of ashlar, rusticated quoins to the central bay and rock-faced plinth on the R side where there ground level is lower. The roof is slate on a moulded eaves cornice, behind a coped gable to the central bay and hipped to the outer bays. The central bay has stacks R and L each with 3 octagonal shafts. The central bay also has an octagonal wooden cupola with vented sides, an ogee domed lead roof and weathervane with arrow dated 1840. The doorway in the central bay has a half-lit panelled door with side and overlights within a shallow canted bay. Above it is an inscription panel bearing the date 1840. In the upper storey is a 12-pane hornless sash window. The pedimented gable projects on a corbel table and within the gable is a round iron clock face in a moulded surround. The symmetrical wings have 12-pane horned sashes flanking central gabled porches, of which the L-hand has a lead roof, the R side a stone slab roof. They have fielded-panel doors, the L-hand with an overlight. The R end wall, facing the quay, has a shallow canted bay with 12-pane horned sash window. The plainer L end wall, continuous with which is a short rear wing, is scribed render and has two 12-pane horned sashes. The central bay has 4-pane horned sash windows to the rear.  

The meeting room occupies the R-hand wing overlooking the quay. It has fluted pilasters to a wooden chimneypiece, central ceiling rose and panelled door. The former dwelling was on the L side. This has, at the rear, a straight stair with turned newel and plain balusters, to the upper storey of the central bay and attic rooms over the L-hand bay.  

Listed grade II* as an especially well-preserved C19 quayside building of distinctive Georgian character, and for its contribution to the setting of Caernarfon Castle.