History

Built in 1875 by W D Blessley, architect of Cardiff, as offices of Powell Duffryn Coal Co. ; extended to N in 1906 by E W M Corbett, architect of Cardiff, closely matching the style of the original builing. Confusingly the 1880s OS map shows this building as a branch bank.

Exterior

Eclectic, High Victorian building including strong Gothic and Italian Renaissance elements. 3-storeys and attic; coursed dark rubble with Bath stone dressings and Radyr stone plinth band and polychromy to ground floor arcading. Hipped slate roof with fine stone chimney stacks grouped together by wrapround stone band; the left hand chimneys mark the end of the original building. Exuberant eaves treatment with pierced parapet over deep acanthus derived cornice. Horned sash windows; modern dormers to front. Building began symmetrically with 2 1 2 front with advanced central entrance bay and end pilaster strips; then extended by 3-bays to left with further end pilaster strip. 2nd floor has impost band, rope moulded sill band and nook shafts; 1st floor has lower band course linking segmental headed windows with heavily ornamented architraves. Arcaded ground floor windows with polychrome voussoirs and bosses to tympani; foliated impost band, ballflowers to bases of nook shafts and swept band below sill. Pointed truncated granite columns, tapered to base; panelled double doors to shouldered doorway. Cellar openings to earlier part. Similar treatment to 1-window left hand end and 5 4 -window rear with a skewed angle to the 3-window extension. Varied dormers including 2 pyramidal roof dormers to left, modern to middle and gabled to right. The original part has central 2-storey projection. To L, at junction with Dock Lane, triangular enclosure defined by iron railings with floral finials, square iron gatepiers with finials, gates in matching style.

Interior

The main rooms have guilloche pattern cornices and panelled doors.

Reasons for Listing

A strong High Victorian commercial building with eclectic use ofstyles and polychrome materials. Group value.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q29491845

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

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Pioneers of Modern Design: From William Morris to Walter Gropius (Penguin Art & Architecture)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)