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
13825
Building Number
Grade
II
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
19/05/1975
Date of Amendment
Name of Property
Head Post Office
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Cardiff
Community
Castle
Town
Locality
Easting
318183
Northing
176160
Street Side
W
Location
On corner with Park Street.
Description
Broad Class
Communications
Period
History
1894-7. Designed by Sir Henry Tanner, Chief Architect to Office of Works. Believed to be the first large-scale use of Portland stone in Cardiff, a material taken up for monumental public buildings in Cathays Park. Extended along Park Street, 1907.
Exterior
Large corner building of Portland stone in free, classical style; chanelled rustication to ground floor; iron railings to basement areas. Four main storeys plus 2 more in steep, slated roof with elaborate gables and lantern. Octagonal lantern.
Westgate Street front has 5 blocks, central and ends advanced, and are 3-window blocks with attics with Dutch gable; dormers in roof slope between gables.
Centre bay has tripartite windows to top floor, over windows with scroll pediments and dark stone columns and balustrade. Small Corinthian entrance portico. flanked by large round-arched windows. The centre bay flanked by 4-window bays with paired windows to top floor, segmental pediments to architraves and balconies to 2nd floor. Squarer windows to mezzanine floor over sash windows. End bays similar to centre, but with triangular pediments to second floor windows in outer bays; doorways with pedimented doorcases. Corner bay has polygonal turret with steep slate roof and miniature lantern. The first block in Park Street is as Westgate Street end blocks. Building continues as a recessed block of 7 windows in simpler vein (alternating segmental and triangular pediments to 2nd floor windows). After a further block matching the corner block, elevation continues to corner in still simpler style.
Interior
Reason for designation
Public building of some grandeur and richness of effect. Group value.
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