The Old Police Station

Cadw's description

Location

Set into the slope at the crossroads on the corner with Derwen Road.

History

Dated 1880/1 by John Prichard, Llandaff Diocesan Architect; extensions to N in 1922.

Exterior

Muscular Gothic, L-plan 2 and 3-storey with attics, structure incorporating Police Station, Superintendent’s house and Magistrate’s Court. Bull-nosed rubble local stone with red sandstone dressings including cill band and gable parapets; steep pitched slate roofs and grouped octagonal blue brick chimney stacks. Glazing mainly of paired cusped lancets to 1st and 2nd floors and cross-frame windows to ground floor with voussoirs; narrow blocked attic openings.

Asymmetrical Court Road side; advanced gable ended outer bays flanking set back Court with tall roof and swept out eaves, grouped lancets with banded voussoirs and filleted nook shafts; raised entrances to either side with lean-to porches. Splayed corner to right end with porch to former superintendent’s house, quatrefoil glazed head to boarded door; grouped lancets to rear facing across Court Road. Projecting rounded SW corner with polygonal stone roof and battlemented parapet leading to 4-gabled Derwen Road elevation; 2 narrow entrances, one retaining bracketed hood, splayed bay and advanced double doorway to left end, hoodmould to the latter with judge and policeman head stops.

Interior

Interior retains open timber roof to hall of Justice with cusped windbraces and quatrefoil panels; several heavly quaterfoil punched doors, characteristics of Prichard.

Reason for designation

Group value.