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
3832
Building Number
Grade
II*
Status
Designated
Date of Designation
10/08/1953
Date of Amendment
03/05/2002
Name of Property
Palace Vaults
Address
Location
Unitary Authority
Gwynedd
Community
Caernarfon
Town
Caernarfon
Locality
Walled town
Easting
247844
Northing
362723
Street Side
N
Location
Directly opposite Caernarfon Castle and on the corner of the junction of Castle Ditch with Palace Street.
Description
Broad Class
Commercial
Period
History
Built in the third quarter of the C19 and first shown on the 1888 Ordnance Survey. The return elevation to Palace Street originally housed separate premises, which was a temperance house in 1883 and a wine and spirit merchant in 1895.
Exterior
Public House in "artisan classical" style. 4-bays, 3-storeys with attic. Symmetrical pedimented front of scribed stucco walls with stressed quoins, a slate roof on dentilled eaves cornice, hipped to the R and with 2 roughcast stacks to the front roof slope. Symmetrical front elevation, with pediment over 2 central bays. The lower storey is divided into 4 bays by regularly placed pairs of Ionic columns and a single column L of centre, all carrying a fascia with dentilled cornice. The lower storey has 16-pane hornless sash windows, except the bay L of centre which has a double panelled door under a plain overlight and a narrow 12-pane hornless sash window to its R. A cast iron crane is attached to the R side of the L-hand bay above cellar trap doors. The middle-storey 12-pane hornless sash windows have architraves with alternate segmental and triangular pediments on moulded consoles. In the upper storey are 9-pane sashes (horned L of centre) in moulded architraves with sill band. Central pediment has a round-headed attic window which has a hood mould on corbels.
The plainer R side elevation, facing Palace Street, is 6 bays with sash windows of 12 & 9 panes (L end and L of centre bays are blind). The lower storey has replaced double doors to the L under an ironwork overlight, with 12-pane horned sash window to its R. Further R the lower storey is divided into 2 double bays by pilasters and a cornice on consoles, representing an earlier subdivision of the building. On the L side are two 12-pane hornless sash windows, while the R side has double fielded-panel doors and paired 12-pane hornless sashes divided by slender mullion (a former shop window).
The L-shaped rear has a shallow outshut in the angle which has margin-lit round-headed windows, and 2-pane sashes to the rear of the Palace Street elevation in what was previously a separate property known as 22 Palace Street. Additions are built against the lower storey.
Interior
Modernised internally.
Reason for designation
Listed grade II* as a mid C19 public house retaining exceptional "artisan-classical" character including a fine frontage with original detail including a cast iron crane; with other associated listed items it contributes to the setting of Caernarfon Castle.
Cadw : Full Report for Listed Buildings [ Records 1 of 1 ]
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