1 & 3 Westgate

Cadw's description

Location

On corner with Eagle lane.

History

Former Inn, assembly room, and school. C17 and C18. Once the Spread Eagle Inn, converted from house. Owned by William Llewelyn, innkeeper until 1740. Assembly room to rear probably dates from shortly after 1740. John Wesley is said to have preached in the "new Assembly Room" twice in 1758 (although he recorded being stoned in Cowbridge in 1743 by "the Sons of Belial"). By the early C19, the building was home of the celebrated Eagle School, or Academy which counted amongst its pupils Dean Howell, Judge Gwilym Williams and, probably, General Nott. Now three premises, from R, Scallywags, Balti House and Ballantyne's Wines. Assembly room under restoration at time of inspection.

Exterior

Stone walls with smooth and roughcast render, and some exposed stone; slate roofs, stone stacks. No 1 comprises an L-shaped two storey building: the SE front wing with blocked early or mid C18 facade to earlier core, and the rear wing with its roof partly detached form the front wing roof and with mid C18 or earlier first floor assembly room. No 3 comprises the W of the front wing now rather altered, but was part of the former tavern and academy. Front elevation of No 1 of roughly five bays with quoins at SE end and with three stone stacks; masked symmetrical facade. From SE end, ground floor with double panelled doors, with sash window on first floor, secondly, sash window with keystone below with blocked window opening with keystone on first floor; thirdly, doorway with rusticated architrave and possibly with keystone, with sash window above it; fourthly, blocked windows with keystones above and below; fifthly, window with keystone below with double sash window with keystone above, the SE part of the upper opening comprising an addition; sixthly, ground floor window. Three bay right gable end to No 1 has end doorway and window on ground floor; three window openings on first floor, two blocked but all with keystones and architraves.
Rear assembly room wing with SE elevation with flanking stone stacks and quoins to north end. Upper floor with blocked triple sash window each side of modern central hoist opening. Window to ground floor brewhouse wing. N gable has loading doorway to first floor. No 3 has, from right hand, ground floor of front elevation with double vehicular doors in front of through passage to former inn yard, secondly, wide modern shop window with, thirdly and fourthly, adjoining doorway and window. On first floor, three widely spaced sash windows, set higher than in SE wing. Lateral stack on rear wall.

Interior

Inside NW ground floor room of front wing with massive stopped and chamfered beam; fireplace to centre of front wing with adjoining staircase to north. Ground floor of assembly room wing has vaulted cellar to S, and brewhouse with heavy beams, and fireplace at N end. On first floor, former assembly room with remains of barrel vaulted plaster ceiling and cornice along NW wall and, at each end, C18 fireplaces originally with modillion cornices; flanking C18 minstrel galleries, one southern gallery retaining its turned balusters and panelled door.

Reason for designation

As a building of C17 origins whose assembly room is remarkable survival, and for historic interest of Eagle Academy.