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
21663
Building Number
85&86
Grade
II
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
30/04/1999
Date of Amendment
30/04/1999
Name of Property
Royal Hotel
Address
85&86 St Mary Street
Location
Unitary Authority
Cardiff
Community
Castle
Town
Locality
Easting
318277
Northing
176109
Street Side
W
Location
On corner of St Mary Street and Wood Street.
Description
Broad Class
Commercial
Period
History
1864-1866, by C E Bernard; later additions including taller corner 1890 by J P Jones. Interior staircase 1901, by R A Briggs. "Cardiff Yesterday", Vol 16, (endpapers) has fine picture of newly-built hotel dominating low C18 buildings of St Mary Street.
Exterior
1860s block is Italianate 9 windows plus 1 set back to R. Four storeys plus attic in steep slate roof behind parapet Grey stucco with some exposed stone and brick stringcourses, channelled ground floor; steep slate roof with dormer windows. Generally sash glazing to upper floors, T-bar casements to ground floor. Camber-headed windows to top floor. Second floor has alternating triangular and segmental pedimented windows. First floor has round-headed windows (central Venetian window). Ground floor has canopied entrance with swan-necked pediment to doorway; camber-headed windows with casement glazing. Bay to R has 2 storey splayed bay treated as window on first floor, and shallow porch with pink granite shafts to columns. Later taller corner block of 5 storeys plus attic and 2 levels of dormers in steep slate roof. French Renaissance style. Channelled bathstone, pink granite columns to ground floor, pilasters to first floor, stone balustraded parapet. St Mary Street front has 4 windows to each floor grouped 1-2-1. Pedimented corner bay is convex to third floor level (balustrade under 4th floor windows); 2 camber-headed windows on 1st floor flanked by granite shafts; stone balconies. Entrance to L, and window flanked by heavy granite columns. To Wood Street, similar treatment with 3 windows on upper floors, 4 on lower floors; central oriel window to second and third floors; balconies to second and first floors. On ground floor, bar windows with granite columns. Similar treatment to Westgate Street, then lower, painted stucco block of 10 windows
Interior
Not accessible at time of inspection, but known to retain the panelled room dined in by Captain Scott and his party on the eve of their departure for the South Pole, June 1910.
Reason for designation
Elaborate Victorian hotel building on important corner site.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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