Jubilee Stores

Cadw's description

Location

Situated on junction with Bridge Street.

History

Shop premises of 1897 built for Thomas Roberts whose business eventually encompassed No 29 adjoining and most of the buildings of Bridge Street. An advertisement in the 1909 town guide calls it The Crown Stores and Steam Bakery, Llandovery, and shows 2 houses on High Street (nos 29 and 31), 4 buildings on Bridge Street, and stables opposite these, all belonging to Thomas Roberts 'Universal Provider'. This building was general store, No 29 was ironmongery, glass and china, steam bakery was on Bridge Street, next to Corn and Flour Merchant (also selling hay and manure).
Premises are on the site of an inn called The Waterloo Bridge and The Bridge End in the 1840s. The designer in 1897 may have been David Jenkins of Llandeilo as 'business premises' in Llandovery are listed in his 1907 obituary.

Exterior

Commercial premises dated 1897, painted stucco with deep-eaved slate roofs on long timber brackets. Crested ridge tiles. L-plan, roof hipped to front range, red and black brick chimneys, one on roof hip and one on S end of rear range. Two and a half storeys, broad 2-bay front with rusticated quoins to upper floors and channelled piers to ground floor angles. Large eaves-breaking centre gable with bargeboards on arch-braces from corbels. Gable has pair of horned plate-glass sash windows in keyed surrounds, first floor has 2 large timber canted oriels with dentil and modillion cornices, the cornices continued across centre over bold relief capital letters: 'Jubilee Stores 1897' with relief crown above 'T Roberts General Merchant'. Full-width shopfront with modillion cornice and fascia over double shop window canted in to deeply recessed half-glazed door. Windows are plate glass with small brackets in corners and long narrow top-lights. Shopfront has outer pilasters with curved-topped consoles framing fascia and cornice.
Return front to Bridge Street is similar and as elaborate, but with 2 eaves-breaking dormers with bargeboards with collars, curved struts over and spike finials, each over a single sash framed like pair on front. Similar pair of oriels to first floor with a very small framed sash with keystone between and ground floor with long dentilled cornice over window, door and window to left and shop-window to right. Left door is 6-panel with overlight, right shop-window has mid transom and 3 panes below a single large pane, and has narrow top light. Both door and shop window are framed by pilasters with console brackets. Left end gable of return front has deep verges, finial and one attic sash to right, framed with keystone.

Interior

Large ground floor shop with cast iron column in centre.

Reason for designation

Included as a virtually unaltered late Victorian commercial premises with a strong architectural character.