Cof Cymru: National Historic Assets of Wales · Wales
Cymric Buildings
Butetown, Cardiff, Wales
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 LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 5 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1636 "Cornubia : Devonia, Somersetus, Dorcestria, Wiltonia, Glocestria ..." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
Cadw's description
Location
On corner of Mount Stuart Square and West Bute Street. Cambrian buildings faces Square, Cymric Buildings West Bute Street.
History
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.
Exterior
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.
Reason for designation
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
- Cambrian BuildingsCommercialunder 1 mi
- St Line HouseCommercialunder 1 mi
- 59 Mount Stuart SquareDomesticunder 1 mi
- Pillar Box Outside Cambrian Buildings.Communicationsunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.