Morgan Arcade Building & Morgan Arcade

Cadw's description

Location

About mid way between Wharton Street and Caroline Street.

History

Dated 1896. By Edwin Seward, architect.

Exterior

Four storeys, 3 bays. No 33 (Morgan Buildings) faced with pink (Forest of Dean), yellow (Guiting stone) and pale grey (Forest of Dean) ashlar. Slate roof, end chimneys. Round-arched window openings except for centre bay on 3rd or attic storey which has 3-light rectangular headed window; windows of end bays in attic storey with keystones and cornices jutting into roof space; splayed end pilasters; paired windows to end bays; centre window with rectangular side lights and flanked by columns; entablature breaking forward over pilasters and columns. First floor with similar fenestration pattern but quoined pilasters with gablets over; pilasters to centre bays with brackets over; cornice. Plate glass shop front on ground floor with entrance to Morgan Arcade in centre. East front of chambers (ie on to Arcade) with external passageway across at first floor level; balustraded parapet. North and south walls of east-west wings each with 2 rectanular first floor windows.
The numbering of individual 'items' in the Arcade is erratic. Arcade; 1896 circa. 2 storeys. Single span trellised iron frame to glazed roof, framework to each bay resting on semi-octagonal columned supports; cornice surmounted by short balustraded panel above first floor of each bay; each bay on first floor with Venetian windows with moulded architraves; dripstones, keystones and panelled spandrels. Shop fronts on ground floor. 9½ bays from east end of Morgan Buildings (within arcade) to crossing, north side comprising no 7 to nos 9-23 (odd nos) and south side comprising nos 10 to 16 and nos 20 to 24 (even nos). Concave north face of crossing (comprising nos 25 and 30) and concave south side (comprising nos 26 and 27) each with 2 Venetian windows and a lunette. Central island with convex face towards St Mary Street and comprising nos 28 and 29 and with single light round headed windows on first floor. North-east continuation of Morgan Arcade, comprising nos 31 to 39 (odd nos) on north side and Morgan's Stores on south side, is set on a curve; single light round-headed windows on first floor; 14 openings including 2 blank openings on each of north and south sides. Venetian window on 1st floor at east end of arcade.

Reason for designation

Exceptional frontage to one of best of Cardiff's shopping arcades, showing refined use of polychrome materials. Group value.