History in Structure

Former Presbyterian Church of Wales (now offices)

A Grade II Listed Building in Riverside, Cardiff

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Coordinates

Latitude: 51.489 / 51°29'20"N

Longitude: -3.2007 / 3°12'2"W

OS Eastings: 316733

OS Northings: 177358

OS Grid: ST167773

Mapcode National: GBR KCJ.95

Mapcode Global: VH6F6.GTSW

Plus Code: 9C3RFQQX+JP

Entry Name: Former Presbyterian Church of Wales (now offices)

Listing Date: 19 May 1975

Last Amended: 24 May 2002

Grade: II

Source: Cadw

Source ID: 13666

Building Class: Religious, Ritual and Funerary

Also known as: Memorial Hall Presbyterian Church

ID on this website: 300013666

Location: A prominent building situated at the north end of Cathedral Road near the entrance to Llandaff Fields.

County: Cardiff

Town: Cardiff

Community: Riverside

Community: Pontcanna

Built-Up Area: Cardiff

Traditional County: Glamorgan

Tagged with: Church building Chapel

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History

Built in 1903, and designed by Edgar G C Down. Converted into offices in 1993-4.

Exterior

The church is faced with thin courses of dark brown Pontypridd stone rubble, with ashlar, probably Bath stone, dressings. Welsh slate roof with lead to the spire. Seven bay nave with six bay aisles, north-west tower with entrance, large porches also at south-west and north-east corners. Late Perpendicular style with both Gothic and Arts and Crafts details. The street (south-west) elevation is of six bays with a vestibule at the north-west end and vestries etc. at the south-west end. Each bay with 2-centred headed window of 2-lights with mouchettes and reticulated heads; relieving arch over; flanked by battered buttresses. Parapet with band above, very steeply pitched roof with large chimney stack on south-east gable. At the south-west end there is a large porch with battered buttresses; doorway with moulded arch and clustered columns; carved spandrels; band of panelling above doorhead punctuated by onion flower motif. At the north-west end similar porch with gable over at the base of a square Perpendicular style tower. This is of four stages with full height clasping buttresses. The porch facing Cathedral Road and a 4-centred arch window facing Gileston Road are on the ground stage. The first stage has similar windows facing in both directions for the ringing chamber. The second has slit windows and the belfry stage is ashlar with a large 3-light opening with Perpendicular tracery above a panelled apron and beneath a segmental arch. Panelled parapet and small spire.
The south-east gable carries large flues rising from the vestries to the gable stack. The north-west gable has a very large window with reticulated Perpendicular tracery, 5-lights, 1 3 1, with ashlar buttresses rising as mullions and through to the cornice above. The rear elevation has aisle windows as before.

Interior

The interior was reported at listing (May 1975) as having a timber roof with single wide span and plastered walls. It was converted to offices in 1993-4 and is wholly ceiled so that the roof is no longer visible, but is reported as surviving. The aisles are still single spaces where the interior of the windows and the brackets for the roof trusses can be seen. The nave is partitioned and the arcades are hidden. All the furnishings have gone and the floors are covered over. The organ front survives in the north aisle. Some of the part glazed doors survive. The roof structure was not seen at resurvey, the tower was seen but this was reroofed in 1993-4.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a good Edwardian non-conformist church which has been very little altered.

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.

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