26655

 

II  

Designated  

24/05/2002  

24/05/2002  

The Old Convent  

 

Cardiff  

Plasnewydd  

Cardiff  

Tredegarville  

318970  

176987  

N  

At the E end of The Walk facing East Grove.  

Domestic  

 

A convent built in the final quarter of the C19 for the Rosminian Sisters of Providence, who established the nearby Heathfield House school in 1878, subsequently known as Our Lady's Convent School. The school closed in 1997 when the Order left the convent.  

A 3-storey 3-bay late Victorian classical house. The lower storey is rusticated ashlar, and above a billeted cornice, the upper storeys are coursed rock-faced Pennant sandstone with lighter ashlar dressings and rusticated quoins. A hipped slate roof has a projecting eaves on corbels and plain cornice. The R side has 2 ashlar stacks, the L side a single stack. Windows are mainly 2-pane sashes. The central doorway has 2 pairs of Corinthian columns supporting the entablature, and a half-glazed door with plain overlight. Above it is a keyed segmental window in an architrave with a segmental pediment on consoles, with relief-moulded tympanum. The outer bays have 2-storey canted bay windows, which have Corinthian pilasters at the angles in the lower storey. The windows have segmental-headed lights with keystones and the window lower L retains the stained glass window of a former chapel. Both bays have an open balustraded parapet. The upper storey has 5 windows in eared architraves with key stones, comprising a 2-pane sash window to the centre, and cross windows R and L. The L side wall is of Pennant sandstone with rusticated quoins. It has openings offset to the L side, comprising 2 segmental-headed sash windows in the lower and middle storeys, separated by an ashlar band, a triple sash window in the upper storey with segmental-headed lights. A rear wing is lower. A YMCA building is attached to the R side (formerly part of Our Lady's Convent School).  

Not inspected.  

Listed for architectural interest as a well-detailed classical house that makes an important contribution to the historic character of Tredegarville conservation area. Historic interest for association with other Catholic establishments in the neighbourhood, especially St Peter's Church.