26681

20  

II  

Designated  

24/05/2002  

24/05/2002  

,20,Cathedral Road,,Cardiff,,  

20 Cathedral Road  

Cardiff  

Riverside  

Cardiff  

 

317424  

176726  

NE  

Part of the group of fine Victorian houses at the south end of Cathedral Road.  

Domestic  

 

Part of the late C19 development of Cathedral Road by the Bute Estate building houses for the new class of successful businessmen in Cardiff. This is one of the earlier houses built c1880. It is shown on the O.S. Glamorgan Sheet XLIII surveyed 1875-81. The development followed on from the opening of Sophia Gardens to the public in 1858 but took some time to come to fruition. The Bute estate proposed that the 'west will be skirted by a long line of beautiful villa residencies which are to be erected between the gardens and a new road intended to be formed and called the Cathedral Road'. (Daunton). These villas were intended to have private rear entrances to the Gardens. Of these villas only Nos 20 and 22 survive little altered.  

Built of thinly coursed pennant sandstone rubble with Bath stone ashlar dressings, bands and quoins, Welsh slate roofs with bright red brick chimney heads. Based on the country house style of Norman Shaw in the 1875-80 period as well as having characteristic touches taken from Burges's Cardiff Castle, this house is actually almost a handed pair with the adjoining No 22 (qv), although given such a very different architectural finish. This is a large detached three storey villa with a three bay front to the street, 1 + 2, the left hand bay is recessed and is in the form of a four storey tower. It has a 3-light window on the ground floor, mullion-and-transom, with similar 2-light ones above; the top floor is corbeled out in the manner of Cardiff Castle and has a 3-light window in a smoothly finished wall. Bell-cast roof rising to a ball finial and with a tall stack going from stone to brick rising through the right hand side. The second bay is set forward and repeats the windows of the the first three floors of the tower. The main bay on the right has a 5-light semi-circular bay window on the first two floors with ashlar panels between and on the balcony balustrade above. The second floor has a 5-light window with transom. Plain coped gable above with three tall red brick stacks on the roof behind. The left hand elevation is blind. The right hand elevation has the entrance to the rear on the ground floor and large 4-light mullion-and-transom windows lighting the staircase above. Rear elevation not seen but the house appears not to have been extended.  

Interior not available at time of resurvey.  

Included as part of a special group of late Victorian houses together with the former synagogue. They are perhaps the best example of their type remaining in Cardiff.