Market Buildings (See Trinity St for Market)

Cadw's description

Location

Opposite Hodge House.

History

Dated 1886. Architect J P Jones; built for Solomon Andrews. The market building of 1835 by Edward Haycock had been redeveloped by Andrews and Jones in 1884, only to burn down in June 1885; Andrews fainted at the sight. The rebuilt Market Buildings includes fireproofing measures by Messrs Hancock and Rogers of Manchester, with concrete floors and flat concrete roof, allowing a rooftop promenande, and camera obscura. The phoenix over central arch symbolises rebirth of the building after the fire. Decorative stone carvings by E Sheppard of Bristol.

Exterior

Five and six storeys commercial block with ground floor shops. Yellow brick with extensive bathstone dressings with relief carving, and pink and grey granite shafts. Three sections articulated by giant Corinthian pilasters (surmounted by urns to sides). Central section of 4 windows, flanked by giant Corinthian pilasters has attic with 4 round-arched windows; pediment to centre; two-storey arch to market entrance with phoenix; bow windows with colonettes; balustrade to 4th floor.
Flanking blocks have dormers behind pierced iron screen, 2 groups of 3 windows to 3rd and 4th floors, those on 3rd floor with alternating segmental and triangular pediments, and granite shafts, below this, band of 7 round arched windows (pink granite shafts), over band of 7 square-headed windows (grey granite square shafts)
On ground floor, modern shopfronts, also to returns into arch where first floor has 3 bays, each with tripartite window.

Reason for designation

One of most ambitious commercial frontages of mid-Victorian Cardiff, by its most ambitious entrepreneur.