Vale Clocks

Cadw's description

Location

On the street line.

History

This building served as the offices of the Denbighshire Free Press after its foundation by Charles Cottom in June 1881. The newspaper, still in circulation, adopted an Anglican Tory attitude under Cottom's editorship, in contrast to Thomas Gee's 'Faner'. During the Tithe Wars at the end of the 1880s however, Thomas Artemis Jones gained notoriety and much popularity for his sympathetic reporting of the anti-Tithe disturbances in the Free Press.

Exterior

Two-storey commercial premises with gabled front and long rear ranges. Stuccoed brick front range with whitened rubble to the rear; slate roofs with plain brick chimney. The facade has a late C19 shop front with entrance to the L and large 12-pane window to the R. The entrance has a moulded panelled door with rectangular overlight and flanking panelled pilasters; a further, similar pilaster terminates the window to the R and each of the 3 has a surmounting console which supports a moulded cornice. Symmetrical first floor with central wooden canted bay and plain flanking sashes. The bay is in the form of an oriel and has a heavily-moulded base and cornice with plain sash glazing. The flanking windows have simple lugged plaster surrounds with expressed keystones, and the corners have contemporary stucco quoining. These embellishments are of c1900 (they are not shown in a photograph of 1881). The gable has deep verges with decorative pierced and cusped bargeboards; pendant finial to the apex.

Interior

The interior was not inspected at the time of survey.

Reason for designation

Listed for its special interest as a largely unaltered third-quarter C19 shop retaining particularly good shop front, and for its historical associations as the original offices of the Denbighshire Free Press.

Group value with other listed items in Vale Street.