Former Penrhiwceiber Welfare Institute

Cadw's description

Location

Located on a corner plot , just south of the centre of Penrhiwceiber.

History

Built 1913, possibly designed by TW Millard of Mountain Ash. Contained a dance hall, snooker room and library. Ground floor contained the hardwood dance floor a small stage and kitchen. Basement level contained gym and boiler room. Staircase at rear led to a bar and snooker room on first floor and to libary and reading room on top floor.

Exterior

Hall and Institute with a terracotta facade in Renaissance revival style. A three-storey building, three bays to the front with a parapet and gabled slate roof; the side elevation is five bays; the sides and rear are rendered. The windows are square headed with 12-pane sashes, all retained though ground floor concealed by 1990s security blockings. The terracotta facade has full-length pilasters at each corner with sunken panels and the date 1913 at the top; parapet was re-built in the 1950s the storeys are separated by deep moulded string courses. The ground floor is rusticated, with a central doorway and two windows, each with pronounced keystones joining a string course above; the doorway has a deep hood supported on acanthus brackets and rusticated pilasters; recessed paired four-panel doors. Each of the upper two storeys has three equally spaced windows: the first floor windows have deep moulded surrounds, a continuous sill, and curling brackets supporting cornices. The top floor windows are camber-headed with plain moulded architraves.

Interior

Currrently unused. Large rooms on each floor. Most internal fittings removed in the expectation of conversion to alternative use.

Reason for designation

Listed as a good smaller example of this important building type, especially notable for its unaltered terracotta facade.