Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
The Round House
St. David's and the Cathedral Close, Pembrokeshire, Wales
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade II
- Broad class
- Domestic
- Date of designation
- 28 July 1992
- Community
- St. David's and the Cathedral Close
- Unitary authority
- Pembrokeshire
- Country
- Wales
- Coordinates
- 51.88322, -5.26515
- Cadw reference
- 12656
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1608 "(13) Cambriae Typus." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
Approached uphill from Quickwell Hill by drive passing between Nos 10-12 and the former Board School.
History
Circa 1965 by James Gowan of the Stirling and Gowan architectural partnership. Built for E W Parke, Professor of Engineering at Leicester University for whom Stirling and Gowan designed the internationally-famous Engineering Building at the University in 1959. Plans for the Round House were submitted 1964, refused, and allowed on appeal 1965.
Exterior
Holiday house of circular plan in white-painted rendered brick with flat parapetted roof. Two storeys, circular plan, with triple metal casements, five to each floor, and in sixth position an attached circular entrance and stair tower rising above parapet for roof access. Sunk bands at sill and window head levels. Metal-framed glazed door at foot of stair tower.
Interior
Open plan ground floor interior with central pillar and one quadrant curved concrete divider (not extending as far as ceiling) with kitchen shelving on convex side, bookshelves on concave side.
Reason for designation
One of the very few frankly modern houses in west Wales and important in the later development of the International Modern style in Britain. In the appeal submission the flat roof was said to have the additional purpose of facilitating the testing of structural materials against salt air for Professor Parke's researches.
Nearby in the register
- No.51 Royal TerraceDomesticunder 1 mi
- No.49 Royal TerraceDomesticunder 1 mi
- No.47 Royal TerraceDomesticunder 1 mi
- 10&12 Quickwell HillDomesticunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.