4056

 

II  

Designated  

02/08/1988  

02/08/1988  

George Hostel, Normal College  

 

Gwynedd  

Bangor  

 

 

256304  

371776  

 

Below the road and reached by drives to SE and NE; set on sloping site amongst largely modern College buildings.  

Education  

 

Ca 1770 house with large later additions. After the new road reached this far in 1819 and the main passenger ferry to Anglesey left from here, it became known as the Bangor Ferry Inn. Greatly enlarged in the mid C19 in the creation of the George Hotel (view of ca 1850 shows it to be much as today). Taken over by the Normal College in 1919 to accommodate male students and converted by R Lloyd Jones, cost £10,000.  

The earliest part is at the NE end. The main (garden) front overlooks the Menai Straits but the main entrance is to the SE side. Pebbledash elevations, slate roofs and cement render chimney stacks. Asymmetrical long garden front; 2-storey and attic 4+6 window front to the Georgian part to left. C18 to left end, with hipped roof and plinth, including broad 3-window splayed bay. Late Georgian to its right including lower 3-window splayed bay. Flat roofed dormers with paired horned sash windows; mainly 12-pane sashes below. The Victorian part is set back to right and the stairwell range overlaps the rear of the late Georgian part; wide bracket eaves, stone bracket cornice and freestone banding. Three-storey, 7+3 window front including semi-octagonal 3-window corner block and advanced and splayed bay to centre of the 7-window part. Sash windows; second floor has arched headed (mostly paired) windows with keystones; bracket cills and marginal glazing bars to corner block, panelled aprons to left. Small pane sash windows with marginal glazing bars below with stone bracket cills; tripartite windows to corner block which also has chimney stacks set against gabled cross roofs. The SE side has similar detail and glazing to the Victorian part with the corner block slightly set back at left end beside outside fire stairs and single storey hipped roof extension with 4-panel door. Taller stairwell bay at right end with single storey entrance extension forward below with tall hipped roof and attached later ashlar porch with tripartite entrance (influence of Gilbert Scott?). Foliated capitals and cornice, stilted segmental arches under continuous hoodmould, tympani to outer openings and cylindrical piers with annulettes. Panelled double doors. Sixteen-pane sashes to rear of late Georgian part and other similar windows to rear of C18 part. Various extensions and cross ranges at right end including one with louvred attic. Six-window NE side, 2-storey and attic with similar Georgian detail to that on the garden front. Splayed bay beside the entrance; small sash window to first floor projecting at left end linking with further range at right angles.  

The Victorian porch enters onto a descending flight of steps with Gothic capitals to the arch at the base, opening on to the stairwell/entrance hall. The staircase has ornate cast iron balustrade and turned newel end; it is gated at half landing where a branch staircase leads off behind tripartite screen. Panelled ceiling to Library rooms reached along a corridor with arched openings, 2 of which are heavily moulded and have panelled reveals. The sloping site has made the plan complicated.