Full Report for Listed Buildings
The list description is not intended to be a complete inventory of what is listed: it is principally intended to aid identification. By law, the definition of a listed building includes the entire building (i) and any structure or object that is fixed to the said building and ancillary to it and (ii) any other structure or object that forms part of the land and has done so since before 1 July 1948, and was within the curtilage of the building, and ancillary to it, on the date on which said building was first included in the list, or on 1 January 1969, whichever was later.
Summary Description
Reference Number
11653
Building Number
Grade
II*
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
23/04/1952
Date of Amendment
30/03/1987
Name of Property
Royal Institution of South Wales (Swansea Museum)
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Swansea
Community
Waterfront / Y Glannau
Town
Swansea
Locality
Easting
265918
Northing
192768
Street Side
Location
Occupying an exposed island site facing N across the A483 dual carriageway.
Description
Broad Class
Recreational
Period
History
Erected 1839-41. Designed by Mr F Long of Liverpool, William Rayner, builder. Later additions include art gallery of 1901. Greek revival.
Exterior
2 storey and basement Bath stone temple with fluted Ionic tetrastyle portico with pediment and steps up. Dentilled cornice and blocking course continues to 3-bay flanks with Doric pilasters, blind upper storey, band course and ramped, lugged architraves to ground floor. Sash windows with marginal glazing bars. Ramped architrave to central doorcase with fanlight and double doors with anthemion panels. 1 bay return elevation to right end, low top-lit gabled rear extension with arched keyblocked doorway (blocked). 3 bay return to left end with low top-lit gabled rear extension, modern extensions in angle.
Good original ironwork railings with scrolled supports sweep forward to left and right of portico; tapered panelled piers (cemented) with entablatures. Railings return on right to meet low rubble boundary wall (continues as crinkle-crankle to rear); into Adelaide Street on left to meet rubble boundary wall.
Interior
Retains entrance hall with ramped architraves and double doors to library on right and lecture hall on left. Library has mahogany bookcases on two levels with open balustered stairs and fluted columns with acanthus capitals to ground floor. Otherwise plain detailing. Fine Imperial stone staircase with original cast-iron square balusters leads up from rear of entrance hall. Interior of rear right hand hall (former Reference Library and Reading Rooms) has timber trussed roof with ironwork foliage spandrels, paired pilasters with swagged capitals to display cases, wide pilastered end doorcase and segmental arched recess. Small rear left hand hall (former Art Gallery and Museum) has timber trussed roof with metal tie-rods and circled spandrels.
Reason for designation
Group value.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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