NO.49 Cardiff Road, Llandaff (The High Court of Justice, Probate Registry of Wales), South Glamorgan, Llandaff, Cardiff

Entry Name: NO.49 Cardiff Road, Llandaff (The High Court of Justice, Probate Registry of Wales), South Glamorgan

Listing Date: 19 May 1975

Last Amended: 30 June 2003

Grade: II*

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 13648

Building Class: Commercial

Also known as: The High Court Of Justice, Probate Registry Of Wales
Yr Hen Swyddfa Brofiant

ID on this website: 300013648

Location: On the east side of Cardiff Road and part of an important group of buildings at the south entrance to Llandaff village.

County: Cardiff

Town: Cardiff

Community: Llandaff (Llandaf)

Community: Llandaff

Built-Up Area: Cardiff

Traditional County: Glamorgan

Tagged with: Building

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History

Built in 1860-3 as the National Probate Registry for Wales; by John Pritchard, architect, builder Thomas Williams of Canton. Still largely unaltered externally. A commercial type building of such elaborate design outside a city centre is unusual for this date and reflects on the importance of its function. Probate was an ecclesiastical function until 1857. The building was converted for modern office use c1990.

Exterior

This building is constructed with thin courses of squared grey roughly dressed Pennant sandstone with bands of Bridgend stone and with Bath limestone ashlar dressings, Welsh slate roof. Gothic Revival building of two storeys and with four bays, the southernmost bay comprising a slightly projecting cross wing with hipped roof of very steep pitch and with a slightly lower eaves level; this wing is single storey with a higher floor level and contains the public office. Upper window lights are trefoil headed; lower window lights flat headed; columned shafts between lights. From north to south, first bay with 2-light windows; second bay with 3-light windows with chimney stack on verge; three flue stack which has been truncated. Third bay with two 2-light windows on first floor and with a window and a trefoil headed porch with trefoil headed canopy with gable over on ground floor. Fourth bay with two tall 2-light trefoil headed windows only; similar arrangement of windows in right return, one to either side of external chimney; lower rear wing behind this. The chimney reduces to a cylindrical shaft, but has been truncated. The main roof is steeply pitched, but not as steeply as the wing, truncated two flue stack on left gable. Left return is blind apart from a gable oculus. Rear elevation not seen.

Interior

Interior of main office seen but this has been given a false ceiling; although a surviving possible hammer-beam roof is suggested above. The building has been converted to modern office use and is clearly very changed internally.

Reasons for Listing

Included at II* as a finely designed and little altered office building by John Prichard, the pre-eminent Victorian architect of South Wales. This building is possibly his finest secular design and the best interior features may survive the conversion to offices.

External Links

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

II Front Garden Wall
Running along the street frontage of No 51.
II The Old Registry
On the east side of Cardiff Road and part of an important group of buildings at the south entrance to Llandaff village.
II St. Michael's College
On the west side of Cardiff Road and part of an important group of buildings at the south entrance to Llandaff village.
II NO.19 High Street, Llandaff, South Glamorgan
The only pre-1850 building surviving at the south-west end of the High Street.
II Apartments 1-3 St. Michael's College
Within St. Michael's College and a part of the quadrangular group.
II St. Cross
Part of the group of important buildings at the south-west entrance to The Cathedral Green.
II Garden Wall of St. Cross
Running along the street frontage of St. Cross and part of the group of important buildings at the south-west entrance to The Cathedral Green.
II The Lodge
On the north-east side of the road opposite St Michael's College and between the old Probate Registry and the Cathedral School.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

NO.49 Cardiff Road, Llandaff (The High Court of Justice, Probate Registry of Wales), South Glamorgan

A Grade II* Listed Building in Llandaff, Cardiff

Coordinates