25502

 

II  

Designated  

21/06/2001  

21/06/2001  

The Plas  

 

Gwynedd  

Harlech  

 

Harlech  

258119  

331080  

W  

On the street line, at the SW end of the main street.  

Commercial  

 

Built as the Blue Lion Inn c1830 by Sir Robert Williams Vaughan, Bart. as a speculative developement designed to serve the growing tourist trade. The inn was built on the site of Plas-yn-Harlech, a sub-medieval town house of the Nanney familiy (of Nannau near Dolgellau); the name was taken from the crest of the family, whose head, at that time, was Sir Robert. Morgan Davies and Daniel Parry are recorded as the first landlords.  

Three-storey late Georgian former inn. Of local rubble construction with whitened facade; hipped slate roof with tiled ridges and ashlar end chimneys with plain bands and capping. Three-bay facade, the right-hand bay double-spaced from the other 2 bays, and giving consequent asymmetry. Off-centre entrance with recessed second-half C20 multi-pane glazed door below a contemporary semi-circular leaded wooden porch canopy. The flanking C20 ground floor windows are in the form of semi-circular bows with similar flat leaded roofs and multi-pane glazing. Original unhorned sash windows to the upper floors, 16-pane to the first and 12-pane to the secnd; these are recessed and have projecting slate sills. C20 sign with scrolled iron bracket to the centre first floor. The rear facade faces a revetted terrace. Its ground floor has a continuous, later C19 glazed verandah, with sash windows within flanking a central entrance with small-pane French doors; marginal glazing. The upper floors have sashes as before with C20 slatted wooden external shutters; further original sashes to the SW side elevation.  

Full-width room to the rear, opening onto the verandah. Simple C19 plaster cornicing with panelled window and entrance reveals and moulded architraves. The staircase, formerly ascending to the L at the end of the entrance hall, has been removed.  

Listed as a second-quarter C19 former inn retaining good original external character, and for its importance to the history of Tourism in Harlech in the C19.