The Gables

Cadw's description

Location

Towards the N end of Bath Street, nears its junction with East Parade, set back from the street in a walled garden.

History

built in 1893, to the designs of Henry Beswick, architect, of Chester. Used as holiday or long-let flats since c1924.

Exterior

Brick with terracotta and painted brick dressings and hipped slate roof with axial and end wall stacks. Arts and Crafts style. Two storeys, with 3-window range entrance front. Central entrance in segmental arch surrounded by wide drop-ended hood mould, with richly moulded terracotta work to frieze and in the spandrels. Many-panelled door, with glazed upper panels. Large 6-light mullioned and transomed stair window above and to right of entrance, with decorative leading and coloured glass lights. Full-height canted bay window with steep roof forming gable of main roof to right, with mullioned windows in moulded architraves with shallow ogee arched heads to leaded lights. Similar detail to 3-light mullioned and transomed windows to left of doorway on each floor, but with segmentally arched upper lights; timber gabled dormer above upper window: moulded brick jettied cornice over the window, and ornamental timberwork to panelling above. Small hipped dormer in centre of roof. Return elevation to right (S) is similarly detailed, with mullioned and transomed windows of 3 and 4 lights to ground floor opening onto a verandah, and 3-light windows beneath gabled dormers above, like that on front elevation. Verandah originally open but now glazed in front elevation. Verandah originally open but now glazed in above lower timber panels; cusped decoration to struts bracing chamfered uprights.

Interior

Much of the original plan and detail of the house has survived: entrance leads to small lobby with tiled floor and glazed inner doorway; large entrance hall has fireplace with enamelled decorative tiles set in panelled surround with bracketed mantle, and trefoiled panels to overmantle. Heavy cornice forms plate rail above. Similar cornice over paired doorways in side walls, with deep moulded architraves. Some of the original reeded panelled doors also survive. Open-well stair leads to galleried upper landing: turned balusters and heavy newels, with some dado panelling.

Reason for designation

A good example of the Arts and Crafts style which is well-detailed inside and out, and which exemplifies the continue significance of private house building to the development of Rhyl at the end of the C19.