Turner House Art Galley

Cadw's description

Location

Set slightly back from road immediately to R of Glendale Hotel.

History

Built 1888 for James Pyke Thomson by Edwin Seward, architect of Cardiff as gatehouse to Thomson's house ('Roxburgh'; demolished) with first floor museum for Thomson's art collection. Named after painter J M W Turner. Became part of National Museum of Wales 1897. Comprehensive alterations (late 1940's by T Alwyn Lloyd and Partners, architects) involved moving entrance and rebuilding beneath central arch, also re-ordering of interior.

Exterior

Red brick with moulded brick string courses and dentil cornice; red sandstone detailing in Italianate early Renaissance style; red tiled roof with longitudinal light. Projecting arched centre bay with a plain semi-circular panel (painted inscription 'Turner House Gallery'). Pediment over with grotesque face and swags in tympanum. Arch piers have paired pilasters flanking candelabrum reliefs (representing Ruskin's 'lamp of truth'). Piers support dolphins at angle with arch. First floor has panels to L and R of arch (formerly with sgraffito work). On ground floor, between piers, large multi-pane ground floor window. To L of central bay, moulded brick doorcase (formerly window) with six-panelled double doors. To R of central bay, moulded brick architrave to mullioned and transomed window with painted surround. L elevation has on first floor, two multi-pane windows in shallow moulded brick architraves; on ground floor, two small lunette windows with keystones to arches. Modern single storey extension.
Right elevation has no openings but first floor corbelled pilasters separated by panelled decoration in moulded brick to former chimney breast (chimney removed).
At rear on first floor, to L, corbelled multi-pane rectangular bay window; four lights, upper lights with marginal glazing. Blocked windows on ground floor.

Interior

Interior arrangement dates from late 1940's (previously upper floor only gallery and ground floor mainly used as living accommodation). Entrance hall with wooden staircase. To L custodians room (in modern extension). To R of staircase is lower gallery (modernised). Upper gallery treated as continuous balcony to lower gallery; 1940's wrought iron balustrade. Open roof of five bays; Renaissance style frieze to roof light. To N, two Renaissance style doorcases with scrolled pediments, swags etc; recess between.

Reason for designation

Group value.