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Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales

Cymric Buildings

Butetown, Cardiff, Wales

A Grade II listed building in Butetown, Cardiff, designated on 20 August 1992.

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1913) covering the location of Cymric Buildings, Butetown, Cardiff, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1913), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Designation
Listed building, Grade II
Broad class
Commercial
Date of designation
20 August 1992
Community
Butetown
Unitary authority
Cardiff
Country
Wales
Coordinates
51.46596, -3.16694
Cadw reference
14012

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

5 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1636 map "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1636 · Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ... (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1865 · England and Wales. England No. 6. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1895 · Sheet 11. Ordnance Survey of England and Wales. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1898 · 263 Cardiff (Hills) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1913 · Sheet 110. Cardiff & Mouth of the Severn. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

Get directions ↗

This record in Cadw's own full report ↗

Cadw's description

On corner of Mount Stuart Square and West Bute Street. Cambrian buildings faces Square, Cymric Buildings West Bute Street.

Cambrian buildings developed on site of Bute Town National School, 1907-10. Cymric Buildings developed on adjoining site to N, in same style, 1911. Both by Henry Budgen, architect, of Cardiff.

South elevation of five storeys plus attic and basement, five bays. All glazing modern replacements. Modern hipped slate roof with windows. Fourth floor, above cornice, has tripartite windows, end and central bays with triangular pediments. First, second and third floors articulated by giant pilasters with Ionic derived capitals having dolphins, sea monsters, walruses, etc, bearing symbols of trade, and dolphins towards bases. Tripartite windows with shallow architraves, central windows shallow bows. Ground floor banded with large keystones to camber-headed tripartite windows. Central doorway with 'Roman bath' tripartite light above; flanking pilasters with ships, anchor chains etc in Ionic derived capitals. Three-light basement windows with decorative iron grilles, windows at ends having taller pedimented central openings.
Elevation to E in same style. Eight bays in total. Four bays to L, part of Cambrian Buildings, remaning bays Cymric Buildings. Entrance doorway in fifth bay with to windows above. Surround to doorway in Portland stone as is facing to basement windows to R which have keystoned voussoir lintels.

Part of a group (with Cambrian Buildings) of early C20 commercial buildings by well-regarded local architect on prominent site at entrance to Mount Stuart Square.
Group value.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Designated Historic Asset GIS Data, The Welsh Historic Environment Service (Cadw), 2026-09-07, licensed under the Open Government Licence http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ Cadw, the Welsh Historic Environment Service · Open Government Licence v3.0
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