Head Post Office

Cadw's description

Location

On corner with Park Street.

History

1894-7. Designed by Sir Henry Tanner, Chief Architect to Office of Works. Believed to be the first large-scale use of Portland stone in Cardiff, a material taken up for monumental public buildings in Cathays Park. Extended along Park Street, 1907.

Exterior

Large corner building of Portland stone in free, classical style; chanelled rustication to ground floor; iron railings to basement areas. Four main storeys plus 2 more in steep, slated roof with elaborate gables and lantern. Octagonal lantern.
Westgate Street front has 5 blocks, central and ends advanced, and are 3-window blocks with attics with Dutch gable; dormers in roof slope between gables.
Centre bay has tripartite windows to top floor, over windows with scroll pediments and dark stone columns and balustrade. Small Corinthian entrance portico. flanked by large round-arched windows. The centre bay flanked by 4-window bays with paired windows to top floor, segmental pediments to architraves and balconies to 2nd floor. Squarer windows to mezzanine floor over sash windows. End bays similar to centre, but with triangular pediments to second floor windows in outer bays; doorways with pedimented doorcases. Corner bay has polygonal turret with steep slate roof and miniature lantern. The first block in Park Street is as Westgate Street end blocks. Building continues as a recessed block of 7 windows in simpler vein (alternating segmental and triangular pediments to 2nd floor windows). After a further block matching the corner block, elevation continues to corner in still simpler style.

Reason for designation

Public building of some grandeur and richness of effect. Group value.