Central Police Station

Cadw's description

Location

Occupying a commanding angle site at junction with Orchard Street. Formerly accommodated fire brigade also

History

Erected 1912-13, later alterations. Designed by Ernest Morgan, architect of Swansea. Baroque revival. Portland stone, red brick dressings.

Exterior

Concave entrance front across N angle, tall, square clocktower above 2-storey convex porch, long facades splay back on each side.

Domed polygonal top to tower with weathervane, open pediments to bell-openings, segmental pediments over clock faces, banded brick quoins. 3-storey and basement main fronts, overall dentil cornice with plain frieze, banded rustication below, plain ashlar treatment to 2nd floor with band course and stellar panels to balustrades over. 1 window over bowed 2-window porch, architraves, keyblocks and aprons to upper floor, arched heads to ground floor flanking open pedimental doorcase with carved Swansea arms and double doors. Sash windows with small-pane glazing. Open metalwork lamp standards flank entrance walls and area railings. Circular entrance lobby with Doric columned screen.

Symmetrical facade (2-4-3-4-2 bays) to Alexandra Road with 3 bay frontispiece and 2 window pavilion ends in Portland stone. Centre block pediment with heraldic dragon in aedicule with trophies, volute supporters and husk drops. Voluted keyblock to top floor thermal window, Ionic portico in antis, cavetto splays to windows, Swansea arms over wide ground floor entrance with architrave and keyblock. Flanking windows (linked vertically) detailed as before, thermal window with volute to ground floor left; moulded cill-band broke on right by single and paired architraves of former fire-brigade entrances (blocked).

2-bay ashlar return flank (as before) to Orchard Street, simpler continuation with fewer ashlar dressings (2-5-1-3-1-3-1 bays). Range is completed by earlier (?) corner building to Pleasant Street, low 2-storey connection range and taller mixed-style building with scrolled pediments, carved panels, corner bartizan etc.

Reason for designation

Group value.